


Eight Years Apart

by chaucer345



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Eventual Smut, F/F, F/M, M/M, Magic, Multi, Romance, Shipping, Starting Over, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2020-06-26 11:48:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 27,607
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19767583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chaucer345/pseuds/chaucer345
Summary: Police officers don't work for rewards, but sometimes the city's residents insist. After saving the life of a creature of myth and legend, they are rewarded with a little... do-over.Written because I needed something a little less depressing.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I should note that this work would not be possible without my beta readers Maldevinine and Wootzel. Thank you both so much!

_Judy_

The Sword and Shield was your average cop bar. Old pictures of police families on the wall, scratched wooden floors and creaky booths, with a menu that was nothing but fried foods and beer.

After eight years, I still loved it.

Francine was dancing hard in the middle of the room. It was amazing how young she still looked at thirty five.

Elephants aged slow, the lucky jerks.

“Deep in thought, Carrots?” My partner asked from across the table.

I shrugged. “Just thinking back on all the time we’ve spent here.”

Nick gestured dramatically with his cane. “Oh right! it’s the anniversary of you joining the force, isn’t it?”

I rolled my eyes. “Nick, you’ve been feigning ignorance about Francine’s birthday for the past six years.”

He took on an expression of mock offense. “Carrots! Are you really going to make fun of a senior citizen’s memory problems? For shame!”

I rolled my eyes. “You’re _forty_.”

He gripped his chest dramatically. “I can already feel the icy grip of the grim reaper upon me! Carrots! I must give my final confession!”

“Can it, Wilde!” Came a voice from behind us. The retired Chief Bogo rolled his eyes from the next booth over. “I didn’t leave the force so I could spend my waning years listening to your so called humor.”

Nick propped himself up with his cane and wiggled his eyebrows at the Chief. “And yet you still come to visit me. You know, some foxes might think you had a crush.”

The chief snorted. “A, you’re married. B, you wish.”

#

A pint and a shot of whiskey later, we were both stumbling our way back home, pleasantly tipsy in the warm summer night. 

I giggled as I held on to my husband’s chest, his cane was mostly ornamentation when he had me to lean on. “You are ridiculous.”

He he shook his head. “It’s why you married me, fluff.” 

I snorted. “Suuure…”

I cuddled up against him as we walked. “So… Neither of us have to work tomorrow.”

He raised an eyebrow with a mischievous smirk on his lips. “I see…”

The smirk dropped and his eyes went wide. “MA’AM LOOK OUT!”

Someone once told me that physical heroism was all about reflexes. Having served on the force for some time now, I had to admit there was a grain of truth to that.

Nick had been facing just the right direction to see the truck careening down the street towards the blind old fox woman, so he was the first to leap into action. 

Of course, with his limp, he wasn’t the fastest on his feet.

It all evened out in the end.

The pair of us careened into the old woman and carried her past the truck just in time. We slammed against the sidewalk, and Nick let out a sharp grunt.

The truck, of course, went hurtling down the street, completely oblivious to the fact that it had nearly pancaked three mammals.

I got up and offered the old fox woman a paw. “Are you okay, ma’am?” I shot a glance at Nick. He shot me a thumbs up, but his teeth were gritted.

I felt a pang of fear, but I didn’t see any blood and he was already getting to his feet. He couldn’t have been that badly hurt.

The old woman took my hand and hoisted herself up with surprising strength. “Why thank you, dearie!” she said cheerfully. She sniffed at the air. “My my, exhaust fumes! Did you perchance save my life just then?”

I blinked at her. “Um… yes?”

“Brilliant! Come along then! I’ll have a reward cooked up for you two in no time!” That said, she turned tail and started walking down the block. 

I helped Nick the rest of the way up and stared at her. “Ma’am, we’re ZPD. It’s our _job_ to save people.”

She turned back to us, her smirk breaking into a grin. “Police? Actually helping people? Well, that’s definitely worthy of a reward!”

We blinked at her. I wasn’t sure if I was more offended or more confused.

Now that I had the chance to get a good look at her, I was completely baffled.

She was the shaggiest fox I had ever seen, and she was wearing an absolutely massive brown coat in the middle of summer. Her tail seemed to drift constantly to the left, and despite her white tipped guide cane, she seemed to move with a positively confident swagger.

Nick let out a grunt of pain as he stepped forward. “Madam, I’m afraid we actually can’t accept gifts. It would look like we were bribed.” He made an uncertain gesture with his paw. “More to the point, you nearly got flattened by an eighteen wheeler! That didn’t… you know.”

The vixen shook her head as she sidled back. “Now now, if I let a little thing like death bother me I’d never get anything done. Now come along, good detective. My humble abode awaits…” 

She gestured to a massive purple tent in what I swore had been a vacant lot the last time I checked.

She pulled aside a tent flap. “Well, come along now! That leg of yours needs icing if nothing else!”

That said, she disappeared inside.

Nick and I exchanged a look. 

My husband raised an eyebrow. “Okay, I’ll admit it, I don’t get a murder vibe, and I’m horribly curious. Plus- Ow!” He grabbed at his side.

I braced him as best I could. “... she might have aspirin.”

#

My opinion of the woman we’d rescued massively increased when she let me call in to the precinct and let them know what happened. They were sending an off duty officer to check up on us and take a statement about the near miss.

I really wished I’d had the foresight to snap a photo of that truck, but there were cameras all over the traffic lights, so it’s not like they were going to get away scott free.

Our host’s tent was… well, it wasn’t normal, but after taking my third witness statement at the Mystic Springs Oasis, my standards for weirdness had become much more stringent.

It was draped in piles of colorful tapestries which divided it into rooms of sorts. The whole place smelled of incense and was filled with a variety of oddities ranging from crystals, to leather bound tomes, to sculptures of snakes wrapped around flower pots and everything in between. 

In short, it looked like a kitschy, if high end, new age bookstore.

Nick and I were seated on plush cushions around an intricately carved wooden table, and Nick had been provided with both ice _and_ aspirin.

Our host returned from what I presumed was her makeshift kitchen with three steaming cups of tea. Her milky eyes apparently didn't slow her down in the slightest. 

She shot Nick a sympathetic look. “I hope you’re not in too much pain. I know you were already injured.”

Nick took the tea into his paws and smiled. “Don’t worry about that. It’s an old wound. I made the mistake of charging into a gunfight. I was a real idiot as a rookie.”

I blew on my tea. “You weren’t as bad as me. I managed to start a species war within my first week.”

Nick frowned. “Carrots…” 

I sighed. “I know, I know, I got played. But I still made a huge mistake.”

Nick reached out and wrapped his fingers around mine. “Carrots, my love, everyone makes mistakes. You can’t live your life haunted by the past.”

The blind vixen sat down across from us with a curious expression. “You two are together? But he’s so much older!”

Over the years our marriage had been critiqued for many reasons, but that was a new one. “I know the cane makes him seem older, but he’s only 40 and I’m 32.”

“And still as lovely as when I first met you!” Nick said, giving me a playful nuzzle.

I blushed. “Nick! Not now...”

He leaned back, looking a little put out. “See, there’s my big mistake: Not finding Carrots sooner.”

I snorted. “Yeah, well if I ever invent time travel I’ll make sure we bump into each other.”

The old vixen across from us smiled and took off her coat.

Eight more tails appeared from under it.

“I could help with that.”

She snapped her fingers, and everything went black.

  


#

_Judy_

I woke up with a start. 

I took in my surroundings. I was lying on a bed with carrot blankets on it, with piles of bunny stuffies all around me… 

And a ZPD recruitment poster on the wall.

My old bedroom? _How did I get here?_

“Hello?” I asked the room…

I coughed. My voice was a lot higher for some reason. What was-?

And that’s when I looked down at my paws and noticed just how tiny they were.

I let out a VERY high pitched scream.


	2. Wakey Wakey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks again to my lovely beta readers!

_Nick_

You wouldn’t think copper pipe was scary.

But when I woke up staring at those three little copper pipes, I felt my heart freeze.

I slid out of the cot. That _same_ cot… and stared at myself in the chipped mirror on the wall.

Looking back at me was a baby-faced fox. Not even fully grown.

And on that mirror was a little yellow sticky note that made my stomach churn.

_“Never let them see that they get to you.”_

I’d dreamed of this place a thousand times. It had never been this real. 

I pinched myself. Nothing happened. Not that I’d ever heard of that working

There was a skill that I had picked up in this very room a long, long time ago. It was taught in schools, but usually not in classes. It was taught informally in homes and on the streets… You could pick it up anywhere, but it was hard to master.

I curled into a ball on that uncomfortable little cot and cried silently.

I was out of practice. A sniffle or two escaped.

Once I was done, I tried to make sense of what had happened. 

Odds are, I was still in a dream. It would explain everything. The old den, the fact that my leg wasn’t hurting… 

The Kitsune.

I shook myself. Those were just fairy tales. Literally. It was more likely that that crazy vixen had drugged me and my partner.

_Judy…_

My heart pounded with fear.

I forced it to steady. Judy and I had been to hell and back together. She was tough. And if that fox had wanted us dead, she wouldn’t have pumped us full of hallucinogens. 

Besides, Judy had called in the incident report. With any luck a squad car of backup was on its way and this creepy nightmare would be over.

Still, if I was going to hallucinate, I might as well do it in pants.

I reached under my cot. If this hallucination was consistent and I remembered right…

I pulled out my backpack. 

I stared at it.

I still had this backpack at home. It was sewn up, threadbare… I never used it anymore. 

But for the longest time it wasn’t just some thing I owned, it was the _only_ thing I owned.

I opened it up. Inside were two changes of clothes, a USB stick, toiletries, and a worn sock that was wrapped in two layers of sandwich bags to keep prying noses away.

Also a picture of mom and dad…

I sighed. I felt a little flame light inside me. Dream or no dream, if I was going to be back here, then I was damn well going to do it right. I threw on the least filthy clothing I had, strapped my backpack on, and unlocked the door.

I stepped out. The abandoned warehouse’s floor was as disgusting as ever. 

Right on cue, Honey crawled out of her sleeping bag. The badger stood up, revealing her stained clothes and a bottle of whiskey in her paw. “Heya Nick! You sure slept in today.”

I snatched the bottle out of her hand and threw it against the wall. It shattered.

The badger in tattered clothing blinked at me. “What the-?”

I gave her a tight hug. “I love you, I appreciate you, and you have got to stop drinking because if you don’t you’ll be dead by twenty three.”

She stared down at me. “...What?” 

I pulled away. “I have to get going. Mom’s worried sick. I’ll be back for you later. Tell Finn I had errands.”

That said, I gave her one last squeeze and jogged for the door.

I heard her voice behind me, “The Fuck!?”

#

I had more than enough money in my little hidden change purse for bus fare. 

I’d lied, oh so long ago (in the future?) about earning two hundred dollars a day since I was twelve. Oh I’d been hustling, but until I was 19 and I started running for Mr. Big, my finances were pretty touch and go.

I guess in this hallucination it had been a pretty good week. I had nearly fifty dollars.

I hopped off at the stop and moved with a purpose for the last few blocks. If I was going to have a hallucination like this I was at least going to do it right, damnit.

Mom’s house wasn’t anything special. Just a one bedroom little bungalow that was clearly scrubbed much more often than it was painted. 

It was just one story, but it had a nice porch. I’d spent a lot of time there when I was little, pretending I was some sort of adventurer exploring an ancient jungle, or an astronaut, or a barker at an old timey fair.

It was a safe place back then. Now, not so much.

I climbed the steps and knocked on the door.

I nearly bolted the second I heard footsteps.

The door opened and a vixen stared back at me. She was wearing a simple pink shirt with a flannel top. She had the same fur and eyes that I did.

She’d seemed so ancient back then. Now she looked like a kid.

Her eyes went wide, and a thousand explanations went through my head. A billion words I wanted to say to her.

And all that came out was a weak. “...Hi Mom.”

She snatched me up and pulled me into a positively bone crushing hug. “You… You’re alive!”

She pulled back, putting her paws on my shoulders. “What were you thinking!? Where have you been? Nicholas, it’s been over a year! I called the police, but they couldn’t find you...” She looked down. “Or at least they weren’t willing to.”

My ears drooped. “I… I’m so sorry Mom.”

I looked away. “After that fight over my...extra-curricular activities I thought,” I winced. “I thought you didn’t love me anymore. I was being a stupid kid, and...”

She pulled me into a softer, warmer hug “Nicholas Piberius Wilde. I am your mother and I will never stop loving you, ever.”

I returned the hug in earnest. I felt my eyes misting up again. “I love you too…”

After a long moment, my mother let go. “So… Are you in some kind of trouble?”

I nodded. “Probably not the kind of trouble you’re thinking of, but… Yes.”

She opened the door wide. “Come inside. We’ll sort it out together.”

This was going much better than I expected it would. “Thank you. I… Just thank you so much.”

She smiled. “What kind of mother would I be if I didn’t fix my son breakfast?”

#

_Judy_

A strange man, looking like an incredibly young version of my dad, burst in the door. “Sweetie!? Are you alright?”

I stared at him, backing up to the wall. “What’s happening? Who are you!?”

He blinked. “Honey Bunny, it’s okay… Did you have a bad dream?”

It… It sounded just like him.

I considered my situation. I’d read a lot of faces in my time on the force and he didn’t seem like he was lying...

I steeled myself. This had to be some sort of trick. I hopped to my feet.

“Listen here. I don’t know who you are, what you did to me, or why you look like a young, thin version of my father, but I’m a detective of the ZPD, I’ve already got backup on the way, and they will find me!”

The man blinked. Then his eyes lit up and he smiled. “Foolish detective! Y’all are in the clutches of Crime Corp! And you will never escape!”

I gasped.

He hoisted me in the air, and I was too shocked to react. “Minions! Secure this daring detective!”

And then he plopped me down into the pile of bunnies and started tickling me.

I laughed out of reflex and struggled, horrified and confused.

After a minute, he let me go and laughed. “I swear Judy you’re more silly than all my daughters put together.”

He gave me a serious look. “But could you try not to scream like that unless you’re really in danger? I was plum worried about you.”

I stared at him. He… Where was I? When was I?

He looked concerned and pulled me in. “Hey… Sweetie, don’t you go looking at me like that now. It’s alright. I’m not mad, or nothing.”

His hug was warm and soft and I smelled his fur.

There was no way to fake a smell like that.

I stared at him. “D-Dad?”

He smiled down at me. “Yes sugar pie?”

I stared at him. “Um… Thanks.”

He kissed me on the forehead. Just like when I was little. “It’s alright, Jude the Dude.”

He let me go and went for the door. “Now you better get downstairs, birthday girl, before your litter mates eat all of those blueberry buttermilk pancakes your mother made."

That said, he closed the door and left.

I stared at the door. I stared at my paws.

“What the fuck…”


	3. Family Responsibility

_Judy_

Mom plopped a big stack of blueberry pancakes in front of me. “Eat up dear! You don’t want to miss the bus.”

I’d always loved the dining hall. Every Hopps did.

It had a huge vaulted ceiling held up by rustic wooden support beams and piles of tables covered in treats that the family kitchen staff took pride in stocking.

I’d spent many nights here over the years, sitting in the padded chairs in the nooks, studying for exams, drinking tea… Hanging out with my family.

It was a nice place that to this day filled me with feelings of comfort and home.

But right now, surrounded by eight year old versions of my litter mates, I would have rather been anywhere else.

“Mooom! Why do we have to go to school on our birthday?” Said Claire, the technical eldest of our litter who later in life became a real estate agent.

Mom rolled her eyes. “If we pulled all of you young’uns out of class every time there was a birthday there would always be at least six empty seats. Now be good, enjoy your lovely breakfast, and make sure your bag is packed. We’ll be having a proper party for y’all in two days when the weekend rolls around.”

“Aw man,” Said George (stay at home horticulturalist in twelve years) through a mouthful of pancakes. “That’s gonna be like, forever.”

Sally (psychiatrist in seventeen years) gave me a funny look that was only somewhat undercut by her picking her nose. “Judy? Why aren’t you eating?”

I blinked. I mechanically shoved a bite of pancakes in my mouth. On some level I knew they were delicious, but right now they tasted like ashes.

She removed her finger and tilted her head at me. “You seem sad.”

Kyle (when he grew up, he would dye himself black, rename himself Loki, get sixteen piercings, and become the family lawyer) tilted his head. “Like Mike sad?”

I stiffened. “...What?”

Claire rolled her eyes. “No one but Mike can be Mike Sad dummy.”

I stared at her. “Mike. Is he…?”

Claire raised an eyebrow. “Is he what? Late for breakfast again? Yeah.”

I got up and made a dead run back to the bedrooms.

#

By the time I got there I was so out of breath my lungs hurt. 

Damnit! Even at eight I’d been playing soccer for three years. Where the heck was that childlike endurance I heard so much about?

I hammered on Mike’s door. “Mike! Mike!”

He opened the door, looking exhausted and confused. “Judy-?”

I pulled him into the tightest hug I could. “Please don’t go.”

He stared at me. “What, to school? Judy, whatever weird obsession thing you’re doing here I’m not interested.”

His room smelled awful. The scent of decaying food and gods know what else hung heavily in the air. Dirty laundry was strewn around so much I couldn’t see the floor.

Still, I held tight. “We are here for you. You are loved. Please. Stay.”

He pushed me off, glaring at me with his bloodshot, drooping eyes. “What the hell are you talking about!?”

I opened my mouth to explain… But nothing came out. 

He pushed past me and went down the hall. Before he was out of sight, he turned around. “You know Judy I know everyone else makes fun of me, but I expected better from you.”

He stalked away in a huff.

I tugged at my ears in frustration. I needed to reach him, but what was I supposed to say?

That I was from the future? That I knew what happened to him because I’d seen it?

I didn’t know. 

But if I couldn’t reach him, pretty soon he’d be dead.

#

_Nick_

Mom stared at me. “You’re telling me, that you are a forty year old man who was sent back in time to when you were a teenager by a mysterious Kitsune and now you want my help to track down your wife, who is a rabbit, and likely an eight year old right now?”

I nodded. “Yes.”

The living room in mom’s house had seen better days, but it was clean and it had all the essentials. It had a comfortable, if a little saggy, couch, an armchair scavenged from the street side, and even a coffee table, currently occupied by a pair of teacups on hand knit coasters.

She looked down, considering my words. “Truthfully?”

It was a test.

There was a rule in my mom’s house, a hold over from a time when the fox community didn’t have a lot on legitimate job opportunities because everyone thought we were universally thieves and liars.

… And, of course, because no one would hire us a ton of us were forced to become _actual_ thieves and liars. As Mom was fond of saying, “Stereotypes are horrible, but they don’t fall from the sky either.”

The point is, some foxes started finding ways to ensure other foxes they were being honest. For mom, that was a simple, uncommon word.

“Truthfully.” I said.

She looked pained. “So… You actually believe that?”

Aaand now she thought I was crazy. Stupid ancient rituals and their loopholes. “I can prove it.” I said, “I know all of the police codes by heart. I know the ZPD precinct one layout by heart!”

She raised a finger. “That just implies that you had a very unfortunate year that we are going to need to talk about.”

I buried my head in my paws. “Oh for fuck’s sakes…”

She narrowed her eyes. “Language young man.”

I looked down. “Sorry mom.” I dug around in my mind, then it hit me. “I know Dad wasn’t my biological dad.”

She froze. “How did you-?” 

I took her paw in mine. “Mom, it’s okay. In the future I got shot in the line of duty and my medical history came up at the hospital.” I gave her paw a squeeze. “I know who my family is and was.”

She looked away. “... Your father loved you very much.”

I nod. “I know… I loved him too.”

It was a perverted joke, in a way. If I’d been sent back just a little earlier I might have been able to talk to him.

The gods were laughing at me.

My mother shook her head. “You still could have learned that on your own. Somehow. Maybe I let it slip and forgot about it. Maybe you broke into the hospital-”

I reeled back. “Skies above Mom, you think I’d break into a hospital?” 

She narrowed her eyes. Her voice grew quiet. “Nicholas, Piberious Wilde.” She said. “You have been gone for a full year. A full year _after_ I caught you hiding drugs and money under the floorboards.”

She looked away. “I will always love you, but I think I am entitled to a little bit of suspicion right now. Especially considering that you’re asking me to upend my whole world view.”

She wasn’t wrong. And she was completely justified. I breathed in and out, carefully like my therapist had taught me. “You’re right… And I’m sorry for that too. I was being an idiot.”

She looked me up and down. And she sighed. “No… You were angry. And you had a right to be.”

I tilted my head, confused. “What?”

She stirred her tea with a claw. “Nick… When you were growing up all you ever wanted to do was have friends and save the world. You were sweet and kind and…” She shook her head. “The world couldn’t very well have that.”

I shook my head. “You can only blame problems on the world so much. There’s a lot of darkness around us, but it’s our job to fight it before it smothers us.” I met her gaze. “I lost my way. And it cost me. I don’t intend to so again.”

She tilted her head. “... Well, whatever you’ve been through, it’s certainly brought you some wisdom.”

I smiled. “You can thank my partner for that. She… gave me hope.”

She smiled… Then frowned, “Nick… I really think you should talk to a therapist.”

I shrugged. “Hard to argue with that, I’ve had one for the past five years. Not sure if he’s practicing yet though…”

She buried her head in her paws. “Nick…”

I held up a paw. “I know, I know… What would prove to you that I’m not crazy… er than usual?”

She took a sip of tea, considering. “I’ll… Let you know. This is certainly a strange situation. Quite honestly. I’ll need some time to process it.”

I nodded. “I understand.” I picked myself up. “I have to track down my wife. If I got sent back here she might have too.”

Mom got up. “No.”

I stared at her. “What do you mean no? She could be in danger!”

She narrowed her eyes. “Nicholas Wilde. I have not seen you for a year. I am not about to let you just march out of this house…”

She pulled out her car keys. “... without me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks once again to Wootzel and Maldevinine for prereading!


	4. Denial and Anger

_ Nick _

Honey flung open the warehouse door before I could even knock. She was wearing a helmet made out of chicken wire and had a positively manic grin on her face. “I’ve got it! You’re a time traveler!”

My eyes widened. “H-How…?”

She waved her paw dismissively. “It’s an obvious logical deduction. It explains so much about yo- Oh hey!”

She smiled at my mother and gave her a wave. “You must be Nick’s other mom!”

My mother blinked at her, clutching her handbag tightly. “... Other mom?” she asked.

Honey nodded enthusiastically. “Yeah! Obviously _ I’ve _ been his mom while he was off the grid. Smart kid you raised!” She opened the door. “Now hurry inside before The Man notices something’s up.”

My mother held up a finger. “Is… Is that why you’re wearing the-”

Honey pointed to her helmet. “What, this? Oh no, that would be ridiculous. I’ve just put a faraday cage around my head because it’s clear that some force has transferred Nick’s mind out of his native time and into his younger body.” She shrugged. “I don’t know if whatever did that uses the electromagnetic spectrum, but I figure better safe than sorry. Now come in! We’ve got so much work to do.”

That said, she dashed inside, leaving the door open behind her.

My mom shot me a deeply uncertain look that asked,  _ “Is she going to murder us?” _

I shook my head. “She’s a creampuff, Mom. Just… kind of eccentric.”

Mom didn’t look convinced, but she walked inside. She looked even less convinced when she saw the piles of garbage strewn around the place, though she was mostly confused by the whiteboard in the middle of all of it. 

Honey went up to it with a ruler. “Okay, so I have a few theories on how you got sent back.”

I looked awkwardly to the side. “It… might have been a kitsune.”

Honey didn’t even blink. “Traditional vulpine fey magic, I see… could it have been the employ of a government agency? Are the Red Wools involved?”

I rolled my eyes. “Honey, for the umpteen bajillionth time, there is not an organization of magical sheep running a scam on a group of viking werewolves. That would be completely ridiculous.”

The badger was unconvinced. “Nick, you just admitted kitsune exist. Why can’t-”

“Okay! That is quite enough!” Mom interjected suddenly. She got between me and the badger, her expression was completely furious. “Who are you and what have you been doing here for the past year with my son!?”

She blinked. “Um… Giving him food and shelter and fighting the tyranny of an oppressive society with him?”

My mother rubbed at her temples. “You’re going to have to break that down.”

Honey rolled her eyes. “I mean, I don’t know what you’re looking for here. He told me you kicked him out so he needed a place to stay. I wasn’t about to let some poor teenager starve on the streets.”

From my mother’s expression, she didn’t seem to think this was much better than the streets. I couldn’t disagree, but that wasn’t wasn’t Honey’s fault.

Mom, of course, had a different interpretation. “Are you telling me, that you have kept my runaway son in this house for a  _ year _ and you didn’t try to contact me  _ once? _ ”

Honey narrowed her eyes. “I’m sorry. I’ve been trying to be polite here under the circumstances, but did you miss the part where you  _ threw him out _ ?”

Mom turned to me, still glaring. “Nicholas, what did you tell her?”

I looked down. 

Lying to both Honey and my mother would save me a lot of grief right now… But I also needed them to trust me. 

Besides. I loved them. And I’d spent way too much of my life lying to the people I loved. 

I let out a breath. “I told her what you said to me right before I left. ‘If you walk out that door, don’t even think about coming back in.’” Even after decades it still hurt. The anger and fear had faded, but it still stung.

Honey crossed her arms. “It didn’t exactly seem like you were losing sleep over it.”

Mom blinked for a moment, confused… Then her eyes went wide. 

I took her hand in mine. “Mom, I forgave you for that decades ago. You were mad. You probably weren’t even thinking about what you were saying.”

She stared at me. Her paw was shaking, “I… I never meant-”

I pulled her into a hug, I damn well wasn’t going to let ancient history come between us. “Mom. It’s okay. I was acting like a turd anyway.”

She hugged me back tightly. Her perfume filled my nose. “I didn’t… I’m so sorry.”

I gave her one last squeeze and pulled away. 

There would be time to process a boat load of complex emotions later. Right now I had a wife to save. “Honey, I need to make sure Judy… Sorry, she’s my wife in the future… Anyway, I need your help to get in contact with her and make sure she’s okay.”

Honey smirked. “Do you even have to ask? Besides, your wife might know something that will put on the tail of some serious magic. I’ll call Finn and-” She frowned. “Wait… should we call Finn in on this?”

I drew in a sharp breath. My oldest living friend was a recent acquaintance at this point in my life. There was nothing I wanted to do more than crack open a beer with him and have a good cry... 

But even in my time he’d have a hard time swallowing all this. “I… I’m going to level with you, I don’t think he’d believe us.”

The badger looked down woefully and shook her head. “He always was a skeptic. I swear, he’s a nice guy though.”

I smirked. “I know… Don’t let him hear you say it though.”

“Ha!” Honey laughed.

Mom looked skeptical. “What exactly have you two been getting up to out here?”

I knew it was going to come to this. It was time to tear off the bandaid. “Small time con jobs. Nothing illegal, and we always try to have a little moral fiber…” I grimaced. “But, providing the timeline holds together, which I’m really hoping it doesn’t… Things will get pretty ugly for me in a few years.”

Honey leaned, in curious. “What happens in a few years?”

I sighed. “Finn and I get an offer from Mr. Big.”

Her fur slicked and her eyes went wide. “But… why the hell don’t I stop you!?”

My ears drooped. I met her gaze. “You weren’t there.”

She blinked… and then she looked sick. “I… might have a problem, huh?”

I nodded. 

She shook her head. “Okay… I may be tying myself to a radiator and detoxing later. So… how do we get in touch with the lucky vixen?

I shook my head. “Rabbit doe, actually.”

Honey raised an eyebrow. “Dang man, I knew you were equal opportunity, but that’s way out there.”

Mom tilted her head, confused. “Equal opportunity?”

I groaned. “Yes, I am attracted to just about everyone. It honestly might be the least important detail in this circumstance.”

The vixen raised a finger… and then lowered it. “I couldn’t care less. Hypothetically, assuming I believe all of this... how do we get in touch with your wife?”

I put a paw to my chin. “Well, for starters, we’ll need to gas up the car and do some printing....”

#

_ Judy _

  
  


When you were still in school, especially in the later years when the work really piled up, did you ever fantasize about going back to an earlier grade where everything was so much easier?

After attending my second grade classes again, I noticed several major flaws with that fantasy.

In history class I was learning incredibly basic information from an outdated textbook that had a massive helping of speciesism. Sure, I’d rolled my eyes at the inaccuracies as a kid, but now that I knew a lot more about speciesist background radiation, I saw it as a serious problem.

The book I was reading in reading class was incredibly simple, but I couldn’t participate in the discussion at all because I’d read it 24 years ago and I doubted even that stoner from Mystic Springs had a memory that good.

At least my arithmetic was still fine, but the most frustrating part was that I was wasting time! I had to go to class to avoid arousing suspicion (I was acting weird enough for an eight year old as it was), but I felt time ticking down and every second I wasted in second grade was a second I couldn’t spend figuring out what the hell had happened to me.

Finally, it was lunch. I found myself sitting alone at a table with a notebook in paw, writing down notes trying to figure out my next move. If I had been thrust back in time somehow, then maybe Nick had been too, but it wasn’t like he’d told me his phone number from when he was sixteen! 

While Hopps farm was in the phone book, I seriously doubted he’d be able to get past the family receptionist.

I poked unhappily at my food. It was the good stuff from the farm. I even had some of Mom’s famous blueberry cobbler to go with it…but for the life of me, I couldn’t bring myself to eat.

“Judy… Are you okay?”

I blinked. An adorable black sheep was standing over me with a lunch tray. 

I looked up at Sharla and forced a smile. “I’m fine! Never better.”

She sat down with me. “Judy, we’ve been friends since kindergarten. I know when something’s up.” She tilted her head. “I know it’s your birthday. Are you worried about growing up too fast?”

I laughed. “More like growing up too slowly.” 

She gave me a sidearm hug. Her wool was fuzzy and soft. “Aww… Don’t worry about it! In a few years, we’ll be all the way in Junior High. Then we’ll look back at this time and realize just how far we’ve come.”

“Yeah. We’ll be  _ so _ old then, huh?” I said with a grin on my face.

She nodded sagely. “Like super old, but don’t worry, we’ll always stick together… Which is why you should dump the cop thing and come to space with me.”

Regretfully, Sharla hadn’t gone to space herself, but I wasn’t about to burst her bubble. Besides, she did work at ZASA designing robotic explorer drones, so she’d gotten pretty close.

Any way you slice it though, that was her dream. I had a different plan. I shook my head. “Sorry Shar, I was born to protect and serve.”

She sighed dramatically. “Fine, but it’s going to be super boring up there without you.”

I snorted. “I think being able to handle boredom is important for a lot of otherwise exciting careers. You have to be able to handle the lulls if you’re going to be sharp for the highs. ”

She put a hoof to her chin. “Huh. I never thought about it like that.” Suddenly, her ears flattened. “Oh no…”

I turned to where she was facing. My face lit up. “Hi Gideon!” I smiled at him and waved.

It took half a second for me to realize that that was a really dumb idea. 

The hulking form of Gideon Grey glowered at me. “The hell aren’t you at your usual table with the music freak?”

“Leave us alone Gideon!” Sharla snapped back at him. “At least Bobby has a dream, unlike you.”

He grunted, swiping my blueberry cobbler. “That’s ‘cause I know my place, unlike the likes of you.”

Sharla put her hooves on her hips. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He laughed. It was ugly. “You’re eight and you’re still dumb enough to think you’re gonna ride a rocket ship.” He leaned forward with a cruel grin on his face. Sharla leaned back, scared.

That just made Gideon’s grin wider. “Ain’t no lambs ever jumpin’ over the moon ya hear? You’re way too big. You’re gonna be stuck right here on Earth until the day you die just like everybody-.”

“Leave them alone.” Came a voice from behind him.

The fox paused. He turned around, confused, only to see Mike of all people staring him down. He was clutching a glass snapple bottle, and he had a look in his eyes that I had seen on some of the more dangerous criminals I’d arrested.

Gideon laughed. “Am I supposed to be scared of you, cottontail?”

His eyes were utterly dead. “Yes.”

He gestured with the bottle. “An eye. A finger, an ear.. Something you could live without, but something you would miss.”

My ears shot up in shock. Had he always been like this?

The fox narrowed his eyes. “You’re are playing a dangerous game Mikey.”

A flame lit inside me.

My brother shrugged. “It’s just about what you’re willing to lose to win. I’ve been ready to die since the day I was born. Are you willing to pay that pri-?”

I smashed my fist into the table, “Okay, that is enough!” I hopped down from the cafeteria bench and got between the two of them. 

“Gideon, I know your dad is being unbelievably shitty right now, but you can’t take it out on the people around you. Seriously! You could have friends who could help and you’re squandering them by being a huge jerk when I  _ know _ you’re better than that! And YOU!” I snapped, turning to my brother. “I don’t know what kind of creepy, depresso shit you’re into right now, but you’re not going to feel any better threatening to cut people’s limbs off! You have a gigantic loving family and I guarrantee that whatever the fuck you’re going through would be a hell of a lot better if you ACTUALLY FUCKING TALKED TO US ABOUT IT!”

The whole cafeteria went silent.

There was the sound of a clearing throat.

Mr. Clemens, my very large boar science teacher, put a hoof on my shoulder. “I think you three had better come with me.”

#

Principal Wheatgrass was, in retrospect, not a very intimidating man.

He was a pudgy rabbit with glasses and a penchant for sweater vests and Shakespeare who had the misfortune of having a job where he was forced to routinely discipline children. He was probably a perfectly nice man who cared deeply for his community and wanted to nourish young minds.

Back in the day, I’d been terrified of him. Now, I was just ashamed.

He looked over the three of us. “So… Who wants to explain what happened in the cafeteria?”

I took a deep breath and sorted out my words. “I-”

“It was my fault.” Mike said, holding up his paw. “I… Gideon and I were fighting and I took it too far. Judy was just trying to break it up.”

I sputtered. “But I’m the one who shouted and swore around impressionable children!” There was no way I was letting eight year olds take the blame for my mistakes. “Just… punish me, I deserve it.”

“Yeah, do that.” Gideon said with his arms crossed. He hadn’t stopped glaring at me the entire time we were in the office.

The principal narrowed his eyes. “I have to say, I am deeply disappointed in all three of you. North Warrens Elementary is supposed to be a safe place and all of you have managed to terrorize your fellow students.”

He turned to me. “Miss Hopps, on some level I understand that you were trying to break up a fight before it started, but you did so in the most needlessly vulgar and disruptive way possible.”

He looked at the others. “As for you two, you have continued your bad habits of terrifying your fellow students for some sort of twisted thrill. That is beyond unacceptable.”

His expression softened slightly. “However, Mr. Hopps. You at least seemed to be trying to assist your family. Your methods were truly foul, but I sense a tiny shred of decency in you that I have not seen before. Nurture that… In your mandatory therapy sessions during monday recess for the next week.”

My brother’s ears fell, but he wisely stayed silent.

He turned to Gideon. “Mr. Grey… You are headed down an extremely dangerous path, but history has told me that nothing I say to you will have any effect. I wish you luck in juvenile detention and eventual prison. I’d add another thursday detention to your stack, but quite honestly You’ve filled out the year already and I have ceased to believe in their effectiveness for you.”

The fox just grunted. It’s like he wasn’t even listening to Wheatgrass.

He was too busy burning a hole in my side with his eyes.

The principal rolled his eyes. He reached into his desk and pulled out a box of chalk. “Thirty lines from each of you during recess.”

He handed a piece to me. “I will not swear in school.”

He gave another to Mike. “I will not threaten my fellow students.”

He held one towards Gideon, and thought for a moment. “I will consider who I want to be.”

#

Our sentence was carried out in enforced silence under the watchful eye of the Bunny Burrow Elementary’s receptionist.

The remainder of the day was carried out, for me at least, in extreme shame.

My last class let out ten minutes early, which should have felt great, but… I found myself so drained by the day’s events and exhausted that I couldn’t will myself to keep going.

So I found myself plopped behind a tree in the backyard of the brightly colored brick building where I had once spent several years of my life…

And might be spending several years more.

The thought chilled me to the bone. Was I trapped here? Was Nick trapped here too?

Was I alone?

I hugged myself tight and ran through some breathing exercises. I needed to stay strong. I would figure this out. I would find my husband, and we would get out of this twisted nightmare once and for all.

Somehow…

I told myself to get a grip. I needed a plan if I was going to contact him and I think I had a start. If I could get to a phone book (I bemoaned the loss of my smartphone) and find the phone number for Nick’s mother Marian, then she could probably point me in the right direction.

I felt a surge of hope for a moment before I realized several flaws in my plan. I didn’t know how to get a Zootopian phonebook and since I was back in the mid nineties I was not sure if her phone number would be online or not.

Also, there was the matter of convincing her that the random eight year old bunny from another township was her 16 year old son’s wife of five years.

I buried my head in my paws. Why couldn’t anything be simple!

“Ya’ll gone too far this time.”

_ Huh? _

A set of bared claws swiped themself into the tree trunk above me as I barely ducked in time. Gideon Grey snarled at me.

I got to my feet. “Gideon, I am not in the mood for this.”

“Good!” He started taking wild swings at me.

Now, I may have been shrunken to my eight year old self, but I still had two decades of martial arts training under my belt.

I dodged his blows easily, sidestepping clumsy clawings and kicks and ignoring several opportunities to do my own damage.

I narrowed my eyes as I ducked and weaved. “Gideon, I’m not going to fight you.”

He took two more wild swipes. “I don’t want ya to fight, I just want you to stand still!”

I groaned. I didn’t want to have to do this, but he wasn’t leaving me much choice. The next time he swiped at me I grabbed his arm, used his momentum and effortly flipped him onto the grass.

He looked completely stunned.

I looked down at him. “Are you done?”

He grit his teeth and made a swipe for one of my legs. I sidestepped it and he cried out in rage as he jumped back to his feet. “Ain’t nobody insults my papa and gets away with it.”

For an instant, I froze. “You’re defending your-” I just narrowly managed to avoid another swipe. 

I huffed in frustration. “Gideon, that man is whipping you!”

He was starting to pant with the exertion. “So what! Everyone… heh… gets whipped from time to time...”

I shook my head, dodging yet another tired swipe. “No Gideon, they don’t. What he is doing to you is not okay.”

He slowed down, he was still glaring though. “You think… You think I’m some kind of meek grass munchin’ pansy bunny?” He met my gaze. “I’m a predator. I got a fire in me you ain’t never gonna understand you stupid… stalker…”

_ Stalker? _ I shook my head. I needed to keep him on task. “Gideon, this isn’t about strength. No one can handle-”

He snarled, baring his teeth. “Don’t you dare tell me what I can and can’t handle, rabbit!”

“What’s going on here?” said a voice.

We turned to see my much older brother Elliot looking at us, uncertain.

I sighed. I guess he was on kit wrangling duty. “We were just talking.”

I started to walk away, but then I paused, turning around to face the exhausted fox. “Gideon, I have seen strength from you. Truly I have.” I shook my head. “But this isn’t it.”

That said, I turned around and made my way back to the bus. 

  
  
  



	5. Long Distance

_ Judy _

Later, after lights-out, I slipped out of the bedroom and made my way to the only computers in the warren.

The Hopps family library was simultaneously bigger and smaller than I remembered it. It was a large chamber filled with well loved shelves that were being constantly added to, so there were a lot fewer books than when I last saw it, but my recent shrinking had made once cramped quarters a lot easier to navigate.

We had more than enough comic books and comfy chairs to keep us going through the cold winter nights, but more importantly, even in these days, it had computers. 

Granted, they were old CRT-monitored behemoths running Windows 95, but I would take what I could get.

I felt my foot stamping lightly as I patiently waited for my machine to boot up, for the dial-up internet to kick in, for everything to load...

And I was, more or less, in. 

I scrolled through the list of results. Marian Wilde was a fairly common name, but I remembered her address. Unfortunately, that was still unlisted. The number of the diner where she worked, on the other hand… I grinned.

I wrote the number down in my little notepad. The odds of anyone snooping in it were very low, but I would probably be sleeping with it under my pillow. I looked to see if there was a specific extension...

I heard footsteps behind me. Someone was coming! I rapidly searched for how to delete the search history… there! C’mon, progress bar... 

“Judy?”

I winced. I turned around on the swivel chair. My rake-thin 19 year old brother Robin was standing there, confused. He looked behind me and chuckled at the clearing history. 

He held up his paws with a smirk. “Don’t worry, I’m no snitch.”

I blinked. “Huh?”

His expression became more serious. He pulled up another chair and sat down with me. “Don’t worry, I’m not telling mom, but we probably should talk about this.”

I looked away. “I… Um… I can explain.”

He shook his head. “You don’t have to explain anything to me, sis. And it’s nothing to be ashamed of. Desire happens.”

My ears went flat. “... what?”

He sighed, scratching at the back of his head, “Look, you’ve probably already heard some jokes at school. You know, stuff about bunnies being good at ‘multiplying’, and-”

I held up my paws. “Whoa there! Let’s slow down here. I promise I wasn’t doing anything untoward on the computer.” I looked away, pressing back against the chair. “Also, I know what sex is. You really, aggressively, do not need to explain it to me.”

He rolled his eyes. “Judy, trust me, at your age you don’t understand sex, you just think you do.” 

He seemed to be searching for the right words, “Look, the internet is not a good place to learn about what actual sex is like. No one is going to shame you for having desires, but you need proper education to handle them safely.” 

I grit my teeth.  _ Oh god no... _

He put his hands together and gave me a level look, “Now, Mom doesn’t usually go through this until you’re at least eleven, but since you’re an early bloomer, there’s some stuff we need to cover.”

I tried to talk, but he just held up a finger. “Now, the first thing you should know is that you are way, waaaay too young to be doing that sort of stuff with anyone else.” He narrowed his eyes, “And if anyone tries to do that stuff with you, you need to let an adult know right away.”

“However, there are other, safe ways for you to-”

“Oh god, stop!” I cried. I’d pressed so far back into the chair it was practically a part of me and I felt like my ears were going to bleed. “Sweet Cheese and Crackers, Robin, I wasn’t looking at porn!” 

He raised an eyebrow. “But you know the word for it?”

I facepalmed. There had to be a way to get out of this conversation...

And then it hit me. I put on my best puppy dog eyes. “Please don’t tell Mom, but…” I sighed. I searched for the Diner’s website again. “I was looking for summer jobs… In Zootopia.”

His ears fell. “Oh…” 

There was a long pause as that sunk in.

He shook his head. “Judy, you are way too young to be thinking about going off on your own. Even for a summer.”

I looked down. “I know, but I just feel so trapped here lately.”

My brother sighed. He gave me a sympathetic look. “Judy… Look, I know being a kid can feel like being carried around in a cage. Honestly, being an adult can feel that way too.”

He tilted up my chin so our eyes met. “But you are surrounded by people who love you here. And I promise, when you grow up you’ll be able to see the world.”

I looked away. “I just wish I could visit it, you know? It’s such an incredible place.”

He nodded. “I know, and maybe some day you’ll get to. But for right now, the family needs you here.” He smiled, softly. “Who else would push us to dream?”

I smiled back. “Thank you.”

He smiled, reaching over and pulling me into a hug. “No problem sis.”

He put me back down and dusted off his paws. “Now, you should go back to bed. You’re a growing bunny and you need your sleep.” He put a finger to his chin, then went to the shelves and pulled out a large volume. “Here.”

I stared at it. I had seen it before, but not for years. “The complete guide to Zootopia, History and Culture?”

He nodded. “Mom told us to hide it from you when we first got it in, but… I think maybe a little escape could do you some good.” He shrugged. “Besides, it’s educational.”

I smiled. “Thank you.”

He nodded. “Don’t stay up too long reading it, okay?”

I nodded back. “Okay...” I blinked. “Wait a minute, what were  _ you _ doing here?”

He looked to the side. “I- um...”

And then it hit me. I smirked at him. “ _ You _ were going to look at porn, weren’t you?”

His ears shot straight up. “What? No!”

I patted him on the back. “It’s okay, big brother. It’s  _ perfectly natural. _ ”

He twitched. “Oh hey, look at the time! It’s time for little bunnies to go to sleep.”

I held up my paws in assent. “Okay, okay, I’m going.”

He looked visibly relieved.

I skipped to the door and waved goodbye. “Have fun!”

#

The next morning, I was almost in a good mood. Sure I was in a possibly dangerous situation that I still knew nothing about, and I’d lost track of my husband, but I had a promising lead and all I needed to do was get to the (at this moment still functional) payphone at school and I’d finally be on the right track to solving this mystery.

That was good, right?

I hopped off the bus and nearly ran straight into Sharla, who looked incredibly worried “Oh my gosh, are you okay? I’ve never seen you dragged to the principal’s office before.”

I blinked at her, more than a little confused.  _ Just act natural Judy.  _ I thought to myself.  _ She’s all of eight years old, you’ve got this. _

I forced a smile. “I’m doing just peachy, Sharla!”

She frowned. “Judy, what is going on?”

I groaned. How was the eight year old sheep the one who seemed to notice something was up? I put a paw on her shoulder. “Sharla, look. I really wish I could tell you what was going on, but trust me on this, you wouldn’t believe me.”

She held up a hoof. “ The universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we  _ can _ suppose.”

I blinked at her. “Huh?”

“Haldane,” She said, fixing me with an even look. “Look, we’ve been through piles of crazy stuff together. Whatever it is, we’ll deal, but we’re way better off if we deal with it together.”

I smiled. I’d forgotten how crazy smart she was. “Sharla, you’re an amazing friend, and I know for a fact you’re going to go out there and do amazing things.” I shook my head. “But I can’t in good conscience bring you into this.”

She took a step back. “You’re in trouble.” It wasn’t a question. 

I hiked up my backpack and started walking.. “Maybe, maybe not. Look… I don’t know everything about what’s going on either. It might all work itself out.” God I hoped that was true.

Sharla paused for a moment, then just looked down and nodded. “...Stay safe.” That said, she faded into the background.

I felt a knife twisting in my gut. 

I shook myself and started marching down the hallway to my classroom. There was no way I was going to drag an eight year old ewe into... whatever this was. 

I was almost down the hall when I saw something completely unexpected.

On the bulletin board outside my classroom was a flyer. It read “Big Brother/Big Sister program! Connect generations and get a penpal from as far away as Zootopia! Call 326-555-8783 for program details.”

There were a lot of pictures of random predator kids on the poster, but front and center was the youthful, but unmistakable grin of my husband.

I pulled out a notebook and jotted down the number with glee. “You always have to one up me, huh?”

#

_ Nick _

The cheap burner phone rang and I nearly broke my arm snatching it up. I bit my lip.  _ Cool it Wilde, you just need to keep the hustle going _ .

“Hello, welcome to Big Brother/Big Sister, an outreach program for--”

“Nick, please tell me that’s you.” Came Judy’s younger, but unmistakable voice. 

I leaned back in my mother’s couch as I felt a wave of relief wash over me. “Oh thank God. Carrots, are you okay?”

She laughed. It sounded like she was crying too. “I’m okay. I’m okay! God, it’s so good to hear your voice.”

I wiped away a tear. “Heh… bunnies… so emotional.”

She swallowed audibly. “Okay, so what’s the plan, partner?”

I sighed. “Honestly… I have no idea. I’ve got a friend here who’s trying to do some digging, but she’s a little--”

Honey popped up from the pile of papers and weird books that were crowding my mother’s coffee table. “Wait! Is that your eight year old future wife?”

I winced and covered the microphone. “Please don’t call her that.”

She mulled that over. “Yeah… I admit that does sound a bit creepy. Accurate, but creepy.”

I groaned. “Honey can you please give us a moment?”

She gave me the saddest eyes a badger could give. “But you said she followed sports...”

“Nick? Nick, what’s happening?” 

I put the phone back to my ear. “Sorry, one of my compatriots over here is trying to exploit time travel.”

A bit of hope crept into Judy’s voice. “You can do that!? Wait, does she know how to get us home?”

I rolled my eyes. “Sadly she’s still at the ‘stock tips’ phase.”

“And sports betting!” The resident badger announced. “Now can you  _ please _ ask your wife how the next World Series goes?”

“What was that about the World Series?”

I shook my head. “There will be time for that later…” I felt a headache coming on. “For right now though, are you safe?”

“Yeah…” Judy replied. “I miss you.”

I looked down. “I miss you too.” 

Her voice wavered. “Nick… I don’t even know where to start in cracking this case. What even happened to us?”

I sighed. “I don’t know.” I gripped the cushion next to me and steeled myself. “What I do know is that when your muscle combines with my brains, not even time traveling mythological creatures can stand in our way.”

She laughed. “Really think you’re the brains here, Slick?”

I shrugged. “Brains, looks, muscle… Honestly we’ve both got so much it’s hard to measure.”

“Yeah, yeah… You’re right about one thing though, we definitely need to regroup.”

I scratched at the back of my head. “Fluff, nothing would make me happier, but I’m not sure how we could swing that without it looking incredibly creepy from the outside.”

“I do. We just continue your hustle.”

I blinked. “Huh?”

“You have a poster up for a big brother/big sister program, right?”

I smiled. “Sly bunny.”

#

_ Judy _

I hung up the phone. I didn’t want to, but lunch was almost over and I’d barely managed to finagle a hall pass in the first place.

But when I turned around…

I found myself staring straight at Mike.

Those long, sensitive ears of his twitched. “Judy, who is Nick, and what the hell is going on?”

  
  
  
  



	6. Control

_Judy_

Mike tapped his foot on the ground slowly, his arms crossed in front of him. “I’m waiting.”

“We both are,” said Sharla, slipping out from behind a nearby trophy case.

I was starting to notice some flaws in the ‘Contact Nick without drawing attention to myself’ plan. I held up my paws. “Guys, I can explain…”

Sharla turned to my brother. “What’s the scoop?”

Mike shrugged, “Judy was on the phone with an older fox who she is apparently romantically in love with. The two of them claim to be time travelers and they appear to be planning an elaborate scam to meet without arousing suspicion.”

My ears fell flat. “Um… I can explain…”

Sharla looked extremely worried. “Judy? Have you been feeling alright?”

Before I could speak up, Mike shook his head. “The story is too consistent for it to be a hallucination, and the mention of sports betting on the other side of the line implies that more than just the two of them believe they’re time travelers.”

The ewe nodded. “Hmm…” She turned to me with a nasty look. “If you’re a time traveler, then what have you done with Judy?”

I winced. “No, Shar, I _am_ Judy, I’m just thirty two and-” 

I looked around for someplace private… I opened up the nearby broom closet and gestured for them to follow.

They joined me, if reluctantly. The closet was cramped, and it smelled like antiseptic and mildew. 

I tugged at my ears. Dang it, this was not how this was supposed to go. At least we were out of sight…

“Okay, look,” I whispered, “I swear by all that is holy, I am not delusional. But obviously, the situation I’m in is not at all safe for eight year olds. So I need you to stay out of it.”

“I have to say,” Mike interjected. “You claiming to be thirty two is not really helping your case.”

I groaned. “Look Mike, I think this situation is just as ridiculous as you do, but I’m not lying about my age… Trust me, I’d go a lot lower.”

“So if you’re thirty two, why do you still look like a kid?” Sharla asked. 

I sighed. “I don’t know. It’s like my brain got sent back into my old body.”

“Can you prove it?” Mike asked.

I grimaced. “I…” My face lit up. “Actually, I can!” 

I wracked my brain. Let’s see, it was the year 2000, so the team that won the Superbowl in the Heavy League would be… “Denver Dodgers!” I exclaimed.

The two of them exchanged a look. “... What?”

“They win the Superbowl this year! And the Woodlands Brawlers win the World Series, And the price of Carrot Computers stock rises dramatically over the next few years…”

Mike blinked. “Wait, the company that makes all of those user friendly, but otherwise terrible computers that don’t let you play like any video games?”

I nodded. “Yes, they make music players and phones with little computers in them that become widely used, even by me in my weaker moments.”

Sharla rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you’re really proving yourself here…”

I groaned, “I’m serious! It’s how I knew about Giddy’s jerk dad and you being depressed, Mike, and… a ton of other stuff.”

Sharla still looked skeptical. “Judy, anyone could have guessed that Mike is sad or Gideon has a mean dad. And all that other stuff would take like forever to prove.” She crossed her arms. “If you want us to believe you, you need to tell us something that you couldn’t have guessed easily and that can be proved quickly.”

I wracked my brain… Then it hit me. “You’re attracted to wolves!”

Her eyes went wide for a moment. Then she stepped back and looked away. “I… I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

I put a paw on her shoulder. “Sharla! Listen to me, who you want to go out with is never a thing you should be ashamed of. Heck, in the future I get married to a fox. It’s no big deal.”

“Yeah it is,” Mike whispered.

I turned on him. “Mike, you had better not be being mean to people for who they love.”

He shook his head. “I don’t care… but the world does.”

I… didn’t have a good response to that.

Sharla took another step back. “No… This can’t be real. There’s no way you could travel back in time! I looked it up, and physics doesn’t _let_ you.”

I sighed. “The universe isn’t queerer than we think Sharla. It’s queerer than we can think.”

The little black ewe gulped. “This… This is scary.”

“Yeah…” I leaned back against the wall. “It’s kind of the reason I wanted to keep you out of it.”

I turned to Mike. “So, why were you here?”

He looked away. “You were acting weird. Sharla thought so too.” He shrugged. “We wanted to make sure you were okay.”

I felt strangely humbled by that. “Thank you… both of you.” I shook my head. “This doesn’t change anything though. I’m sorry I’ve been hiding things, but you two should stay out of it. There’s no telling how dangerous it will get, and I can’t have you two getting hurt.”

Mike narrowed his eyes. “I heard you talking to your boyfriend about how you felt safe. If you’re safe, then why wouldn’t we be safe helping you?”

I yanked at my ears. “Because I have no idea what’s happened to me! What if the person who sent me back here comes after me?”

Sharla put a hoof on my shoulder. “If that happens, we’ll be there for you. I don’t care how old you are, you’re still my best friend.”

I felt my heart melting. “Sharla I love you like crazy, and I appreciate your support, but… That’s kind of what I’m trying to avoid. I don’t want you to get in trouble because of me.”

“Kind of a bit late for that.” Mike muttered. 

He paused for a moment, then shook his head. “Sorry, that’s not nice. Gideon did that.”

I let out a breath. “Cut the guy a break okay, he’s… not having a good time right now.”

Mike snorted. “Being hurt doesn’t make hurting other people okay. If it did I’d be bullying people like all the time.”

I winced. “I’d been meaning to talk to you about that…”

He raised an eyebrow. “Do you know how to make me feel better?” He said it bitterly, but I saw a faint twinkle of desperate hope in his eye.

I grimaced. “...no.”

The twinkle vanished. “Figures.” he said.

I gritted my teeth in anger. I had had just about enough of this guy. “There’s no one who can wave a magic wand and make you suddenly happy, Mike. No one thing makes up happiness.” I gripped his shoulder. “But now things are different. Now I actually know it’s serious. And I will move Heaven and Earth to help you, okay? That’s what family does.”

He looked at my paw for a moment, then looked me in the eyes. “Something bad happens with me, doesn’t it?”

I narrowed my eyes. “Not if I have anything to say about it.”

He looked away. “Okay… Thanks.”

It was a start. I turned to Sharla. “So… That’s about the sum of it.” I gave her a pleading expression. “So can you please, please give me the space I need to figure this out?”

She shook her head. “I still don’t see why I can’t help you. It sounds like you could really use someone who knows physics to sort this out.”

“And you’re definitely going to need someone to run interference for you at home.” Mike added. “Mom and Dad are already getting worried about you.”

I buried my face in my paws. “Guys, seriously, you can’t get involved in this.”

Mike and Sharla exchanged a look. “...Yeah, I don’t think you can stop us,” said Sharla.

Mike grunted. “I dunno what Hopps family you’ve been in, but we’re not fond of letting our siblings go without backup.”

I considered the situation. I didn’t have a way to easily dissuade them… and I guessed technically I wasn’t in a ton of danger right this second…

I let out a breath. “Okay… I’ll make you two a deal. If you promise to run to an adult if anything dangerous happens around me… I’ll let you help me out.”

Sharla held up a hoof for a moment… but dropped it. “Okay.”

I turned to Mike. He put his paws in his pockets. “Sure.”

The bell rang.

There was an awkward pause. 

“So... “ Sharla began, “You probably still need to go to recess to keep up appearances right?”

I considered that. “I guess?”

“Okay… Can thirty two year olds still play kickball?”

I shrugged. “I don’t see why not.”

#

_Nick_

Mom came back into the room and sat down on the couch. She stared at the wall for a moment, saying nothing. 

I put the phone back on the hook. It only took a few tries (look, I haven’t used a land line in a while). I turned to the young vixen. “Mom, are you okay?”

She didn’t turn her head. “I’m sorry. I listened in.”

I scratched at the back of my head. I supposed I couldn’t blame her for that. “I… I mean, that wasn’t how I hoped you would meet her for the first time.” _For a number of reasons…_ I thought.

She just kept staring.

Okay, now I was getting seriously worried. “Mom?”

She turned to me. “You… you’re really from the future?”

I raised an eyebrow. “Uh… I think that’s been pretty well established.”

She twitched. “This… This isn’t a scam.”

Honey tilted her head from the other side of the couch. “Wait… what would the scam have been?”

She pulled her legs up and curled into a ball. “I… I don’t know.”

I picked myself up, walked over to the couch and pulled her into a hug. “Hey… It’s okay. I’m okay, you’re okay...”

Honey just looked completely confused. “Okay… I can sort of understand why you might think this wasn’t real, but why are you _sad_ about it?”

I sighed. “Honey, she’s just had that last shred of denial that the world makes sense stripped from her okay?”

Honey raised a finger, lowered it, and sank back into the couch. “Oh. Control thing. I got it.”

Mom’s posture relaxed and she eyed the badger. “What do you mean ‘control’?”

Honey shrugged. “You feel like your control of the situation has been compromised. I mean…” she sighed. “Sorry you feel bad.”

She picked up her notes. “I think I’m going to take a walk, clear my head. Be back in a bit.”

That said, she gave us a nod and left.

Mom looked confused. “Is… Is she alright?”

I sighed. “Yeah, just jealous. Don’t worry about it, she’ll be back to her old self in a minute.”

Mom tilted her head. “What about this situation provokes her jealousy?” She looked around the room. “Is… Is it because of the home? I know I’m lucky to have one, and-”

I held up a paw. “That’s not it. Honey actually owns the warehouse and does a bunch of remote coding work. She’s not what you’d call “stably employed.” but our place isn’t something that would get to her.”

Mom still didn’t get it. “So what’s wrong.”

I shook my head. “You can’t feel bad about losing control when you don’t think you have any control in the first place.”

Mom blinked, a deep seed of concern forming in her eyes. “...Oh.”


	7. Does he?

_ Nick _

I found Honey two blocks away, shaking behind the dumpster of a run down Chinese restaurant.

I gestured to the hunk of brick wall next to her. “This seat taken?”

She shook her head. 

I sat down. “So… how are you holding up?”

She let out a breath. “I… I might need to get chained to that radiator a bit sooner than planned.” She laughed, eyeing her quivering paw. “I’m supposed to get two days before this crap starts up, you know?”

I took her paw in mine. “Honey, it’s going to be okay.”

She shook her head. “I… I’m not sure if this is going to work, Nicky.”

I tilted my head, confused. “What’s going to work?”

She took her paw back and hugged her chest. “The whole ‘me’ business.” She got up and walked across to the other side of the alley, her paws in her pockets. She leaned against the opposite wall and looked away. “I… I can fight scary future monsters and make phony outreach websites, but…” She shook her head. “Nick, I don’t belong here.”

I smirked, but there was a sadness in it. I knew exactly how she felt. “I thought you loved getting into places where you don’t belong.”

She shook her head. “Not like this… Nick, you have a home. You have a family that loves you. I get that things go bad for you in the future, but going good seems like getting involved in a world that doesn’t have a place for people like me.”

I walked up to her and put a paw on her shoulder. “Hey, I’m not asking you to start wearing dresses and going to church or anything. Just because you’re not ‘normal’--” I added massive finger quotes “--doesn’t mean we can’t hang out.”

She nodded. “I know, It’s just…” She looked away. “Sometimes I just feel really alone.”

I got up and pulled her into a hug. “You know, I wasn’t kidding about that whole, ‘I love you' thing.”

She hugged back. “Thank you. I love you too… In a platonic way. I’m still gay… Also we have a sort of mother son relationship going in this timeline so that would be really awkward.” 

I gripped her tight. “I gotcha.” I let go of her. I couldn’t help but feel as though I had been giving out a lot of hugs lately, but the situation had called for it. “So… while Judy’s getting stuff straightened out for our reunion, want to see if there are any magical clues that were left behind in that vacant lot where I met the Kitsune?”

She put a hand daintily to her chest. “Why, Nicholas, I thought you’d never ask.”

#

_ Judy _

Zootopia was a city of extremes, good and bad. If I wanted to go to a musical, there were piles to choose from every night. If I wanted to go dancing, I had options ranging from punk raves to fancy ballroom galas. If I wanted food, I could get some from every species and nation. There wasn’t much I couldn’t find…

Except for the stars.

After getting the go ahead from Mom and Dad for the big brother/big sister program, (I think they thought bringing a bit of Zootopia here might sate my desire to leave home), Sharla and I were laying down on a blanket in the front yard, looking up at the infinite cosmos. With the heavens stretched before you, you could imagine anything was out there. I could see why she loved it so much.

“So… If you’re from the future, what does the next generation of spaceships look like?” Sharla asked, side eyeing me from her back.

I winced. “I… am not going to lie. The United States of Animalia kind of gets into some space stagnation. The international space station is up there, and there are a lot of cool robot probes, but not much else happens… at least, on the government side of things.”

She looked confused. “Huh?”

I shrugged, ruffling the blanket in the process. “Well, there are all these private companies getting involved with it lately. Which is… good and bad.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Why is it bad.”

I sighed. “Because… I don’t know, it’s weird. They’re doing a lot of cool stuff, but at the same time they’re spending huge piles of money on these big projects while treating their workers really badly and not paying them enough.”

Her ears lowered in concern. “They don’t have enough money to do both?”

I shook my head. “They do… They just don’t want too.”

She looked away, now looking more than a little grumpy. “Well, that’s mean… It’s not the spaceship’s fault though.”

I chuckled. “No, it’s not.”

She turned back to me. “Do you think Mike is going to be okay?”

I closed my eyes and let out a breath. “God, I hope so.” He’d asked for some alone time and we’d reluctantly complied.

“I think…” Sharla said. “I think he might be a good person, deep down.” 

I nodded. “I think so too.”

I got up and stretched. I noticed a fuzzy, moving shape at the end of our driveway. Normally, that wouldn’t be worrying, considering that the family had a tendency to drift all over the place when they weren’t working the fields…

But the figure was limping, and I caught the faint sound of repressed whimpers on the wind.

My eyes went wide. “Sharla, get Mom and Dad.” 

She poked her head up. “What--?”

I didn't wait long enough to give an answer. I wasn’t nearly as fast as I used to be, but the figure wasn’t far away. It was too oddly shaped to be a rabbit, but too short to fit most of the other species in town, what…

I skidded to a halt.

Standing before me was Gideon Grey.

He had a black eye, a twisted foot, and he was clutching at his arm, which was twisted at an unnatural angle.

Blood was dripping from his nose. He wiped it away with his paw. “He… he said he hates me.” He said, his eyes haunted. 

He fell to his knees, “He doesn’t mean that… Right?.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the people who wanted me to hurt Gideon...
> 
> What's wrong with you?


	8. Time Tables

_Nick_

Mom’s car pulled up to the vacant lot. It was just how I remembered it… Well, minus the giant tent.

It was one of those unofficial city dumps that tended to crop up in the less wealthy areas of town. I had asked Honey to do online recon (in what little of the internet there was so far) and the place had changed hands more than a few times. Right now it was technically owned by the city and there was some sort of strange, low key political debate going on as to how to use it.

In short, no one was likely to be watching it too closely. Especially at night.

Did I mention we were doing this in the night? Yeah…

Honey had taken forever to find her stack of ghost hunting gear in the mess back at the warehouse and then mom needed to go do an emergency shift at the diner, but all of us wanted answers. So, to the vacant lot we went.

I admit, this whole thing was just a throw of the dice anyway. I had no idea how to find answers on something like this. Honey said that she’d found some references to Kitsune being tied to specific locations… And curiously, Mom had agreed.

She was wearing an old necklace with a large sort of comma shaped bead on it. She said her grandmother gave it to her and claimed it could ward off evil somehow.

I was tempted to get one myself. She offered me hers, but I sensed it might have been a bit too late for me… If it even worked.

She parked by the little Mexican restaurant right next to the lot, and we hopped out with flashlights in paw. Honey had some sort of improvised volt meter with her and was wearing more holy symbols that I could count…

Honestly, I wasn’t sure a scattershot approach to divine intervention was the best move, but again, I had no idea what I was doing.

Mom grabbed my paw as we got out of the car. “Why don’t you let me walk in first? Make sure it’s safe?”

I gripped back and looked her in the eye. “I was about to say the same to you.”

She let go and narrowed her eyes. “Young man, I am your Mother. We have been doing incredibly dangerous things for the last two days and I have to draw the line at some point.”

I held up my paws. “Mom, I have eight years of law enforcement experience and I’m technically older than you. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

She crossed her arms. “Young man, I think-”

“Hey guys, I found something!” called Honey from behind a mound of trash in the back of the park.

Mom and I exchanged a look, sighed, and followed.

Carefully sidestepping a few old mattresses, we found Honey standing next to a strange, worn down archway with a flat stone in the center, barely illuminated by her light. 

And on that flat stone… was my cane. With a piece of paper tied around it with a neat red ribbon.

Mom’s eyes went wide. “There’s a shrine here?”

I snatched up the cane, yanking off the ribbon.

It read “Five days left, make them count.”

I stared at it. “Fuck…”

  


#

_Judy_

The Hopps farm, like many warrens, had a tiny little clinic of its own. 

It wasn’t much, but when you worked on a farm, injuries were common. And Bunny Burrow was far flung enough that sometimes you just couldn’t reach the hospital in time. Having a literal family doctor and a couple of nurses had saved… well, maybe two or three lives, but those were worth it. 

I sat outside the door to the clinic. My feet were shaking, but I couldn’t even touch the ground.

Mom walked up and handed me a mug of tea. “Are you doing okay, pumpkin?” she asked.

I shook my head and turned to her. “Is he going to be okay?”

She smiled. “Of course he is, Sweetie. Danny’s in there right now patching him up.”

I nodded. “Have you called CPS?”

She raised an eyebrow. “Yes… How did you know about them?”

“Cop books.” It was technically true.

She nodded, she sat back in the chair next to me. “You know, this is why we’re worried about you going into law enforcement. You’ll have to see a lot of terrible things.” She stroked the back of my head. “Seeing all that could really hurt you. Even if criminals don’t.”

I shook my head. “That’s not how I work, Mom.”

She raised an eyebrow, “Oh?” 

I turned to her. “The bad stuff in the world is always going to be there Mom. I get that some people can ignore it, but… I just can’t.”

I looked down. “I don’t feel safe unless I’m working against that stuff. When I’m working against it I at least know what’s coming. I can try to do something.”

She pulled her paw away. “You know, you have a really well formed philosophy for your age.”

I shrugged. “Maybe I’m older on the inside.” I turned back to her. “I need a favor. A big one.”

She nodded. “Okay, shoot.”

“I need you to request temporary placement of Gideon here.”

Her ears drooped. “Honey…” 

I held up my paws. “I know it’s a lot to ask. But he needs a place to stay, far away from his Dad. We have room, and… from what I’ve heard… the foster system wouldn’t be good for him at all.”

She took her paw in mine. “Judy… I am so proud of you for caring for the people around you, but Gideon is a very troubled little boy. I've heard stories about him-”

“That was years ago, Mom.”

“I know.” She said. “And maybe he’s grown up since then, but it doesn’t exactly sound like he’s in a good place.”

I nodded. “That’s why we need to bring him here.”

She gave me a searching look. “... You aren’t going to feel safe unless you can help him, are you?”

I shook my head.

She sighed. “Okay. I’ll ask. But if he does anything fishy at all-”

I gave my mom a giant hug. 

She stroked my back. “There, there… good bunny.”

#

“I don’t understand.” Gideon said as I laid out a sleeping bag on the floor. He had a cast on his right arm, a brace on his ankle, and a crutch under one arm. “Why are you helping me?”

I sighed. “A long time ago, I met a fox who was in incredible pain. I didn’t realize that he was angry for a reason and I screwed things up. Bad.” I shook my head. “I can’t believe he forgave me.”

I turned to him. “So I’m not making that mistake again.” 

I patted my bed. “C’mon. We should get some sleep.” I started crawling into my bag. 

He stared at me. “You’re giving me the bed?”

“You’re the one with two broken bones.” I looked at him. “Can you get up there okay?”

He nodded, carefully easing himself onto the bed and wrapping himself in the blankets.

There was a long pause. I thought he’d gone to sleep, but he finally said, “Hey Judy?”

I raised my head up just a little. “Yeah?”

He looked away. “Thank you.”

#

_Nick_

I patted Honey on the back as she dry heaved into the toilet. Her paws were sweaty, and she seemed, if anything, more disoriented than usual.

She pulled herself off and leaned her back on mom’s bathtub, panting. “You know… Considering the world is going to end in four days, maybe now wasn’t the best time to quit drinking…”

I shook my head and handed her a prepared glass of water. “We don’t know the world’s ending. I might just have four more days before I get sent back.”

She sipped at the water. “Yeah… I’m probably just making excuses.”

I looked at her. “It’s okay. I understand why… for the record. It means a lot to me that you’re doing this.”

She chuckled softly. “I mean… It’s not like I wanted to die in five years.”

I smiled. “Yeah… It kinda sucked.”

There was a knock on the door. “Are you two okay in there?”

“Just fine, Mrs. Wilde.” Called Honey.

Mom opened the door and walked in. “You know… You can call me Marion.”

“That’s okay… doing that makes me feel kind of old.”

“You are not old.” Mom and I said in unison.

Mom and I exchanged a strange look. She shook her head. “Are you sure you’re okay with me going in to work?”

I held up my paw in a ranger scout salute. “I solemnly swear that, barring house fires or acts of the gods, I’ll be here when you get back home. Truthfully.”

She nodded. “Okay. But you have the number for the diner if you need me.”

I nodded and she left.

“So… I had an idea.” Honey said, getting shakily to her feet. “What if we restored the shrine?”

I raised an eyebrow. “You want to fix up the apparent residence of the evil kitsune who threw me back in time for fun?”

She made an uncertain gesture with her paw. “I mean… Do we really think she’s evil? Provided the world doesn’t end or anything, she’s already saved my life and reunited you with your mom.”

She had a point… But… “It still would have been nice to get a bit more warning. This whole ‘monkey’s paw’ isn’t awesome.”

Honey shrugged, “I mean, they’re supposed to be benevolent tricksters right? It’s kinda their wheelhouse.”

I sighed. “There’s another flaw with that plan, Honey. Poking in an abandoned lot in the dead of night is one thing, but it’s not like no one is going to notice if we clear out all the trash and fix up the place.”

She smirked. “Oh they’ll notice, yeah… But they won’t care if we own the place.”

She had said a lot of weird stuff over the years, but that took the cake. “Honey, I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but Zootopian real estate is murderously expensive. I have forty five dollars.”

She wiped her forehead and smirked. “That’s why we’ll need your wife.”

#

_Judy_

The next morning, I got a spare toothbrush for Gideon. He had some trouble getting to all the places he needed to with his left paw, so I helped him out. He was more than a little nervous about me handling his teeth, but I assured him it wasn’t the first time I’d seen fangs.

That done, I found that mom had dropped off some clothes that more or less fit him, and we were ready to head down.

Before we left for breakfast, I sat him down on the floor. “How are you feeling?”

He looked puzzled by that. “I… I’m not sure.”

I nodded. “If you need some time to yourself, that’s okay. I think you’ll need to talk to some people from CPS too.” 

He gulped. “Miss Rand says if I miss any more days I’m going to get held back.”

I winced. “If you want, we can talk to the administration about that, get you a doctor’s note. This isn’t the sort of thing they’d want to hurt you for.”

He looked away. “They always want to hurt me.”

I thought about that. Could it be true? If the rest of Bunny Burrow was like my Dad, then it was completely plausible that they could be making life difficult for Gideon on purpose.

I grabbed his good hand and gave it a squeeze. “If they try anything, I’ll protect you. Okay?”

He nodded. “You are like… really good at fighting.”

I shrugged. “I try my best. Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

There was a knock on the door. I opened it up and mom was there, with a ram and a coyote in crisp suits with badges hanging from their belts.

The coyote knelt down low. “Hi there. You must be Gideon. I’m Officer Beverly Chase, but you can call me Bev if you want.”

The ram waved, trying to smile. “Officer Ryan Kent.”

Beverly turned to him and smiled. “He’s a big softie. Don’t worry. Would you be okay with us asking you a few questions?”

He looked away. “Can… can Judy stay?”

I waved.

The officers exchanged a look.

“... Sure,” said Officer Kent. “That’s fine.”

#

_Nick_

The phone rang and I snatched it up. “Carrots, thank goodness. I was getting worried.”

“... Do you really call her Carrots? That’s like, really speciesist.” asked a strange voice.

I raised an eyebrow. “Who is this?”

“My name is Sharla, I’m Judy’s friend.”

My eyes went wide. “Wait, Sharla? Judy’s ZASA friend?”

“I mean... I guess in your future? I might go private now.”

“Don’t, Elon Tusk is a huge tool. What happened? Where’s Judy.”

“She’s at the home. Gideon doesn’t want to be left alone right now… And Judy needs to save the day at any age.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Gideon? Gideon Grey?” I had vaguely met the pastry chef a few times visiting Judy’s family, but I hadn’t gotten the impression they were childhood friends or anything.

“Yeah… So, anywho, she just wanted to say she’s trying to help him out, so she’s not at school today. If you could set up a chat room though, that she could use.”

I nodded. “I think I can swing that… How is she?”

“She’s… she’s okay.” She let out a breath. “Look… I don’t know what your deal is, but Judy seems to be totally crazy about you. Whatever you’re going to do to get down here, do it fast. Things are getting rough.”

I let out a breath. “Okay… Does she have an email address?”

“Protect uh… ampersand serve@zmail.com”

I chuckled. “Figures. Hey, Sharla?”

“What?”

“... Thanks for being there for her.”

“Thank me in person. Oh, and Nick?”

“Yeah?”

“Hurt her, and I will rip your guts out.”

“...You’ll have to beat me to it.”


	9. Helping

_ Nick _

Honey did not look good.

She was standing, I could say that much for her, but she was shaking and woozy, gripping my hand to balance. I gave her a concerned look. “You know, you don’t have to do this.”

She chuckled. “I mean, I already set up the long term bets. What else am I going to do with my day?”

“Rest?” I asked seriously. 

She shook her head. “I… Stillness is not a friend.”

I nodded. “Okay, let me know if you need to get steady.”

That said, I walked through the archway with her and went up to the shrine of the Wise Spirit Fox Inari.

Zootopia was a big, diverse city. And even though the old ways of the islands where many foxes immigrated from generations ago weren’t common here, that didn’t mean they were absent. The shrine to one of the most venerated Kami of Nippon may have been part of a botanical garden, but at least it was here.

The place was mostly outdoors, with a traditional little building behind it, an archway in front and a gift shop to the side… Which could have been an island or a mainland thing to be honest. The floor was neatly cobbled and a teenage arctic vixen in traditional clothing was banging her head to her walkman as she ran a push broom over the stones.

I sidled up behind her. “Um… Excuse me?”

She groaned. “Oh my god, Clay! I told you-”

She blinked as she turned around, hastily yanking off her headphones. “Oh geez, I’m so sorry I thought you were someone else.” She looked me up and down, then smiled, Giving me a delicate bow with her hands together like she was praying. “Welcome to the Shrine of Inari, how can I help you today?”

I returned the gesture smoothly. “Nick Wilde, I was hoping to ask some questions to the resident priest… Is that you?”

She snorted. “That’ll be the day, nah I’m just the shrine maiden.” She frowned. “I’m sorry, but Master Ichiro is actually out for the week. Is this a spiritual or administrative problem, because I can help you with the former.”

I grimaced. “It’s… A little of both actually. I wanted to ask about the proper methods for restoring a shrine?”

She raised an eyebrow. “There’s another shrine around here? I thought the closest one was on that hiking trail in Deerbrook County.”

Honey shook her head. “It’s a little one, in a vacant lot on Coat street. A Hokora maybe?”

The shrine maiden tilted her head. “Did it have a swastika on it? It’s a buddhist symbol in this context.”

I shook my head. I would definitely have noticed that. 

The vixen leaned back on her broom, thinking. “Hmm… Let me take a looksie in our records. See if we know who lives there.”

She picked up her broom and gestured for us to follow.

#

To my surprise, we didn’t end up in the main building, but in a little shed behind it. 

It was a fairly nondescript little office, but it had a lovely porch and the same construction as the main building, but it was clear that this place was more administrative than religious. 

She flipped through a filing cabinet and pulled out an old, stained folder. “Huh…  Muchitsujo Wakagaeri. ”

I looked to the side, “Uh…”

She raised an eyebrow and smirked. “Not very up on the lingo, huh? It’s a shrine to a low level Kitsune of disorder and rejuvenation.”

Honey raised an eyebrow. “That’s a fascinating combination.”

The shrine maiden made an uncertain gesture. “I mean, it’s kind of a weird focus for a temple, and it didn’t gel all that well with the message of the shrine network so eventually its funding got cut.”

I tilted my head. “It seemed pretty small. They needed the money that badly?” It didn’t exactly look like they’d sold it to the highest bidder.

She shrugged. “Honestly I couldn’t tell you. Way before my time. Probably some weird dogma junk.”

I blinked at her. “... If you don’t mind my saying so, you’re not what I was expecting from a shrine maiden.”

She laughed. “I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but we’re a long way from the islands. Inari’s a cool dude and all, but this place is more… relaxed than a lot of other places.”

I nodded. “So… who should we talk to to learn more?”

She shrugged. “I mean, I can get you business records, but I might as well pull out the big book of Kami!” She wiggled her fingers mysteriously.

Honey and I exchanged a look.

She laughed. “Don’t worry, it’s just a little pop up book one of the old shrine maidens left in the back… And I’ve added to it here and there.” She gave us a wink. “Just don’t tell the priests!”

That said, she slid open a little panel door and lead us to a room full of dusty cardboard boxes and plastic containers. It was a tight squeeze, but we managed to tiptoe inside. 

The shrine maiden dug through a cardboard box that I couldn’t help but notice was a bit less dusty than the others. She yanked out a colorful red children’s book that was quite thick. She paused, looking at it uncertain.

Honey tilted her head. “Is something wrong?” Her eyes widened. “Should we be on alert for evil spirits!?”

The white fox shook her head. “No… I just… It’s thicker than I remember.”

I felt a cold, creeping dread. “Um… Maybe we shouldn’t-”

Honey snatched it and opened it up.

On the first page she flipped to, a pair of cardboard cutouts lifted from the page.

Cutouts of me and Judy. 

The shrine maiden backed away. The boxes blocked her in. “That… that wasn’t in there before.”

Honey started to read. “Once upon a time there were two mammals. A rabbit and a fox who wanted to make the world a better place.”

She flipped the page, there was the tent, the shrine covered in garbage, and the old woman with nine tails.

“ Muchitsujo Wakagaeri saw them, from her place in Exile. She could not help the world she loved while Inari’s chains bound her.”

She turned to the next. The truck, us pushing her out of the way. “But Inari could not undo the ancient law of the life debt. And when the heroes of her city saved even her from danger she had a chance to defy the cruel balance and use her power to heal once more.”

A pop up of both of us, divided by a stone wall, with Judy on one side and me on the other. Both of us so young... 

“So she gave them a chance. An opportunity to heal the world.”

Honey flipped to the last page. The kitsune staring into a fire, thinking. “But she realized she could not make them do this, only ask them. So she offered them a choice. She gave them a book with a pair of magatama inside. If they joined them together in the symbol of Yin and Yang, they go back home and all would be the same.”

“Or they could stay in the past, and try to build a better future for those they loved.”

She flipped to the back of the book, and a pair of jade necklaces fell out, each one holding a strange little comma.

The final page read. “The choice is yours.”

#

_ Judy _

I’d put Gideon in a comfy chair with a comic book in the library, but he was just sort of staring at it.

I leaned over from my chair and put what I hoped was a comforting paw on his shoulder. 

He flinched away.

I pulled my paw back. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.”

He shook his head. He looked away. “I… Don’t mind so much. Ya’ just startled me.”

I tilted my head from the chair next to him. “Do you need anything? Water? Snacks?”

“No…” he rubbed at his temple with his good arm. “I just… I sorta wanna see my pa… but that’s crazy right?”

I let out a breath. I’d spent more time with shellshocked kids than I’d have liked to over the course of my career, so I had an uncomfortable amount of experience with this kind of conversation.. “No… It would be a bad idea, but it makes sense that you want to. He raised you. Made you feel safe.” I shook my head, “He just didn’t keep you safe from himself.”

He looked down. “I’m never gonna see him again, am I?”

I winced. “I can’t promise that, but I hope not.”

He looked like he was about to snap at me for a moment… And then just sighed. “Maybe… Maybe I could help him stop? Like, I tried to get him to drink less once. He tried too… He’s just… He’s not evil or nothin’ he’s just- ya’ know, angry.”

I shook my head. “Gideon. Maybe someday your dad will realize that he needs to change and put the work in to become a better person.” I met his eyes, “But you would be the absolute worst person to help him. You’re too close to this.”

He looked down. “But I know him. Nobody else does.”

I raised an eyebrow. “He doesn’t know anyone?”

He shook his head. “Ma died when she had me. He… I guess he talks to some folks at the bar, but that’s it.”

I grimaced. “That… Isn’t great. Everyone needs someone to-”

I got hit by a brainwave. I reached into my pocket and pulled out Nick’s folded flyer, showing it to him. “Maybe he could help you!”

There was a long pause.

Finally Gideon looked up. “Judy… Who is this guy?”

I mulled over the answer to that. “He’s my… pen pal.”

He raised an eyebrow. “You have a  _ fox _ pen pal?”

I smirked. “Yup. He’s this nice guy from Zootopia. I met him through the program, and he’s been really nice.”

He didn’t look convinced. “I don’t know… I mean, I guess it’d be nice to see another fox.”

I grinned. “Awesome! That means that I can invite him to the party!”

He tilted his head utterly lost. “Party?”

I nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! Hang on, I’ll be right back.”

That said I leapt into action and dashed down the hallway…

Of course, about twenty yards down I slowed down with a sigh. “You know you’ve got to stop this whole snooping thing Mike.”

My brother shifted out from behind an alcove, bundled up in a worn green hoodie and looking rather embarrassed, “Sorry. I just… I wanted to make sure you were safe.” 

I shook my head. “Gideon’s not going to hurt me.”

He winced. He looked genuinely concerned. “He’s hurt a lot of people Judy.”

My ears flattened. Oh. “He… he has a good future.” I said lamely

He blinked. He looked almost scared. “... What’s mine?”

I tried to open my mouth, but found myself frozen. How do you tell an eight year old something that horrible? Would it even help prevent it?

Finally I just pulled him into a hug. “I’m changing it. Whatever it takes.”

He hugged me back. “Okay…” He stepped back, “I’m… Going to go play some video games… And, you know, make sure Gideon’s okay.”

I nodded. “Thank you.” It was probably for the best that someone kept an eye out. I felt a bit embarrassed for just dashing off like that.

Come to think of it, I’d been feeling a bit… Energetic of later, but I’d chalked it up to nerves. I was younger. Maybe there was something too the whole ‘youthful energy’ thing.

Honestly, would have traded it all back for my other two feet of height. Among other things.

Pushing those thoughts aside, I made my way to the kitchen, Mom was in there going through the bills on the counter.

I sidled up and slipped the flyer in front of her. “I think he can help Gideon.” 

Bonnie eyed the flyer of my future husband with skepticism. She looked at me uncertain.“Sweetie, I get that you’re trying to help, but I’m not sure this is a good idea.”

I held up a finger. “It’s a totally free way to get a positive role model for Gideon. I found the flyer posted at school earlier, so it’s legit, and I talked to him over email and he seems cool. You can even read the messages if you want.”

I had carefully purged said messages of the stuff about us only having ‘four days’ and all of the lovey stuff… and that weird stuff he’d asked about sports victories as part of some elaborate magical scheme, but Mom didn’t need to know about all that right now.

Living with a former hustler for six years and something might just stick.

“Pumpkin, it’s a good idea. You’re not wrong, it’s just…” She looked like she was searching for the right words. “... I’m worried about how you’ve been acting lately.”

My ears fell. “Why?”

She held up a paw. “Easy there, you haven’t done anything wrong. It’s just that you seem to be… taking on a lot of things an eight year old shouldn’t have to worry about. It’s plain to see you’re a smart girl, but…” She sighed. “I’m worried you’re going to lose your childhood if you keep carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.”

I frowned. “I’m sorry Mom, I didn’t mean to make you worry…”

She scratched me behind the ears. “It’s alright Judy. Just… Could you do me a favor? Try and have some fun at the party tomorrow? You don’t need to feel like garbage all the time to save the world…”

I smiled. “I think I can handle that… So, can my friend Nick come?”

She rolled her eyes… But she smiled. “Okay. Can you get me his mom’s number just so I can check in?”

I nodded. “That’s easy!”

She chuckled. “Now there’s my little girl. I better have a talk with your father, though. He’s a little bit old fashioned and I get the sense he’s chomping at the bit about your first fox friend.”

I nodded. “Dad might need to... learn to not be so scared of stuff that he’s not used to.”

Mom nodded. “Have I mentioned that you’ve become incredibly diplomatic of late?”

“I try.”


	10. Reunion

_ Nick _

I wasn’t expecting a shaking shrine maiden to end up covered in a blanket on my mother’s couch, but today was full of surprises.

“Magic is real… Magic is  _ real _ .” she mumbled.

Honey sighed, wrapped tightly in a blanket of her own. Somehow more coherent than our guest in spite of withdrawal. “Is everyone going to react like this when they finally get it?”

The white fox stared at Honey. “You don’t understand. I make our ema out of sculpey clay. I sneak sake from the priest’s office. I burn  _ birthday cake scented incense on the altar! _ ”

She hugged the blanket tight to her. “I am the worst shrine maiden who ever maidened a shrine. If magic is real, I’m going to get devoured by spiders in my sleep.”

I sighed and scooched over next to her, throwing an arm around her shoulder, “Look, if that hasn’t happened yet, I doubt it’s going to. But if someone wants to hurt you, I don’t care how much magic they’re throwing around, we will find a way to stop them.”

She looked up into my eyes. “Nick… I’m scared.”

I held her close. I wasn’t going to let some poor kid feel scared and alone if I could help it. “It’s okay.”

She looked at me, her eyes glistening.

She kissed me right on the lips.

I scurried back, arms up in an instant. “Whoa!”

The shrine maiden’s ears pinned back. “Oh my gosh. I’m sorry. I totally didn’t…” She sprang up. “I need to use the bathroom!”

That said, she bolted.

Honey stared at me. 

I picked myself up. “I… I’m going to get Mom and go see my wife now.”

She nodded. “You… Uh… How long is that car ride?”

It was such a non-sequitur that I didn’t know how to process it. “Like an hour and a half, why?”

She coughed. “You just have, uh… a bit of a situation.” she pointed.

I looked down to my pants and sighed.

_ Sixteen, right... _

#

_ Judy _

Hopps family birthday parties were, by necessity, a little generic, but they weren’t bad. 

The culinary side of the family loved any excuse to show off, so they had a huge spread laid out. And each kid only got to invite one guest, so the crowd wasn’t too large and there was a barbecue going on, ensuring that if snacks weren’t enough there would be enough grilled vegetables and bean cakes for everyone. 

There was a bounce house blowing up in the yard and an enthusiastic game of tag going on. There would be ice cream and cake and a whole bunch of other stuff that an adult like me was socially discouraged from enjoying, but enjoyed a bunch anyway…

But all I could do was stare at the driveway.

Sharla sidled up to me on the picnic bench. “You doing okay?”

I chuckled. “Sorry… I know staring won’t bring him faster. I just…” I sighed. “It doesn’t feel like he’s really here until I see him.”

Sharla nodded. “Hmm…”

She crossed her legs and looked towards me from the bench with an expression that I absolutely could not read.

I stared at her. “What are you doing?”

She nodded, sagely. “How does what I’m doing make you feel?”

I blinked, “What?”

She continued her nodding, scratching at the wool on her chin. “What do  _ you _ think.”

This was getting ridiculous. “Shar, please tell me what you’re doing. You’re starting to creep me out.”

She deflated, letting out a breath. “Sorry…” 

“She’s worried about you.” Came a voice behind me.

I turned to Mike, I hadn’t even noticed him coming up. I raised an eyebrow at his hoodie. “Aren’t you hot in that?”

He rolled his eyes. “You’re changing the subject. Sharla was doing the whole therapist look thing. You know, where they calmly examine you looking expectant so you’ll start talking.”

Sharla stared at him. “You study psychology?”

He shrugged. “No, but I’ve been stared at by a lot of therapists.” Mike turned to me. “So what’s bothering you?”

I blinked at him. “Nothing! I mean… Obviously I’m worried about Nick. And Gideon…”

I glanced back over to him. Mom was talking to him with a smile on her face and Gideon was nervously smiling back. I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad one, but at least he’d come out to the party.

Mike sighed... “I’m just going to ask. Judy. Why didn’t you tell us about the three days?”

My eyes went wide. “How do you know about that?”

He looked away for a moment. “I… Should probably teach you how to use a shredder program. The original form of that chat you altered was kind of easy to recover.”

I stared at him. “You  _ hacked my messages!? _ ”

He took a step back. “I mean… I wanted to make sure it wasn’t an elaborate hoax! For all I knew Nick could be a pedophile.”

My eye twitched. “So you decided to commit a federal crime!? What’s wrong with you?”

His ears flattened. “I’m sorry.”

I rubbed at my temples. “Oh for pity’s sake.” I couldn’t believe he’d do something like this. I knew he was troubled, but this was a massive violation of my privacy…

… although on some level I was very impressed, but that was pretty handily overridden by rage.

“Um… Judy,” Sharla interjected, “What are the three days?”

I shook my head. I supposed there wasn’t much point trying to hide it. “I don’t know what the three days are. All I know is that according to a piece of paper Nick found wrapped around his cane we have three days left for… something.”

Sharla raised an eyebrow. “Something?”

I shrugged. “It was, quite frankly, really vague. Honestly I have so little to go on with that one that I didn’t bother bringing it up.”

I narrowed my eyes at my brother. “Of course, both of you would have known about it if you’d asked for a detailed briefing instead of snooping in to private conversations between me and my-”

A car pulled into the driveway.

My heart skipped a beat.

Nick opened the door and I bolted.

#

_ Nick _

I was two steps out of the car when an adorable, fuzzy missile slammed into my chest and gripped on to it for dear life. 

“You… you’re here!” Said a teary eyed, impossibly adorable little Judy.

An invisible weight lifted from my chest and I hugged her with all my might. “It’s so good to finally see you!”

I noticed a young rabbit doe eyeing us, holding the hand of an injured little fox walking with a crutch. We both looked back at her.

She looked like she was thinking… Then smiled. “Welcome to Hopps Farms Mr. Wilde.”


	11. A Better Place

_ Nick _

I knew I shouldn’t have been surprised when Judy’s response to me kissing another fox was “Oooh, was she cute?”, but it still threw me a little.

I blinked and looked down at her. We were sitting on a log bench on top of a little hill for privacy, both of us with cake in our paws.

“So… You’re not mad?” I asked, seeking assurance.

She sighed. “Nick, we’ve been over this, I don’t actually care if you want to get frisky with other people from time to time.” 

This was one of the primary cultural gaps between Judy and I. Generally speaking, foxes were monogamous and there was a lot of cultural weight placed on staying faithful to your “one true love”.

In contrast, rabbits seemed to have a “the more the merrier” approach to romance that had required some talking out at times. Eventually we had decided that informed non-monogamy was probably the best for our relationship, but it wasn’t something we’d really tested. Not because we fought about it or anything. It was just that relationships took time and work, and we were both police officers with very full plates and very little interest in making out with people we weren’t romantically attached to.

But honestly, that wasn’t the part that bothered me.

I scratched the back of my head. “It’s more that I’m forty years old and she’s sixteen… Also, it wasn’t really expected, so the consent business is hazy.”

Judy winced. “Oooh… Yeah, I retract my previous encouragement.”

I nodded. “Yeah… Also she kinda kissed me without asking.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Okay, now I’m a little bit on the punching her train.”

“I’m pretty sure it was just a miscommunication.”

“Still…”

We stared out into the distance. 

Finally, Judy sighed. “We’re kind of ignoring the elephant in the room.” 

I raised an eyebrow. “You invited Francine?”

“Nick, please focus.” She pulled out her half of the necklace. “Should we go back?”

I sighed, staring at mine. Even with the pop-up book there was so much about this situation that confused me. “I mean… I have been able to help a friend of mine. Don’t get me wrong, I miss being able to drive a car and pick up a beer, but…” He shrugged. “I mean, it’s a hell of an opportunity to waste, isn’t it?” 

She nodded. “It really is. Gideon doesn’t deserve to grow up in an orphanage, and Mike doesn’t deserve to die… even if he is a butt.”

I snorted. “Honestly, from what you’ve told me, he has a bright future in the tech industry, or in espionage.”

“Tech industry seems more likely.” She got that focused look on her face that she always got when she was working on a puzzle. 

It was ridiculously adorable in her current state. 

“Do you think we’re thinking too small?” She asked finally. “ I mean, we’ve gone _ back in time _ . We’ve helped people, but all of the stuff we’ve done to make the world better has been local.” 

She got a little gleam in her eye.

I got a sinking feeling in my stomach.  _ Here we go again _ . “What are we supposed to do though?” I cautioned, “I mean, we appear to have three days. In a couple  _ years, _ when we get all of those long term bets, we’ll have enough money to really make changes for the better, but right now we’re just a couple of children. It’s not like we could organize a search party to find those nutjob terrorists who blow up the Staghorn tower.”

Judy put a finger to her chin, “We couldn’t find them... but we could tell other people about them.”

I sighed. “Fluff, I’m really not trying to burst your bubble here, but no one on the planet is going to believe us.”

She shrugged. “We can find proof. It wouldn’t be the first case we cracked.”

She wasn’t wrong. You could argue it wasn’t even the highest stakes… 

And there was some part of me that was right there with her. How many families lost people they loved that day? How much suffering could we stop if we just found a way?

But we weren’t cops here. We weren’t even adults. And everything about this situation was completely insane. Three days to save the day...?

Well, I suppose it had been two last time.

I turned to her. “...Okay. Where do we start?”

And that was right about when a paper airplane landed in front of us. 

I blinked at it. It looked like it had something written on it. I opened it up. “Ten paces forward?”

There was a bush over there.

Judy and I exchanged a look. 

She narrowed her eyes at the handwriting, then sighed, marching forward and spreading the bush apart. “Mike, I’ve told you--”

I raised my eyebrow. There was a little cellar door in the ground. A tiny grey paw waved us in before closing the door. 

We exchanged a look, pried the door open, and hopped in.

  
  


#

_ Judy _

The interior was… not the best smelling and not the most organized, but it was surprisingly deep. It was lit with strings of Christmas lights and piled with old cushions. There was a banged up CRT monitor rigged up to an old computer tower with miss matched drives, and the whole assembly was connected to some sort of extension cord that had been dug through the dirt.

Mike sat down in front of it. His hoodie back for the first time in a long while.

Honestly, little dugouts like this were common among rabbit kids, but having power to them wasn’t. I raised an eyebrow at my brother. “How did you get a computer running in your clubhouse?”

His ears fell, “It’s not a clubhouse, it’s my secret base.”

Nick raised his paw.

Mike blinked. “What?”

“How did you get a computer running in your secret base?”

Mike smiled. “I found this extension cord out by the old shed and some parts that were thrown out during the last dump day at school and I put it together. It’s not actually that hard.”

Nick nodded, raising an eyebrow. “And... how old are you again?”

My brother blinked. “I… just turned eight. Didn’t you see the party?”

Nick shot me a look. “Your family is intense.”

I smiled. “Yeah, I know.” I turned back to my brother, my expression souring. “Mike… Are you seriously skipping out on your birthday party to spy on me again?”

“I’m not spying!” he insisted. “You two just started talking outside of my base, and I wanted to help.”

My expression softened. He wasn’t wrong about us just happening to choose his space. “But don’t you want to go down and have fun?”

He looked away. “I’m not really a party person. I’ve been talking to a lot of people lately so I’ve been... you know, sometimes it’s good to back away from people when you feel bad.” He shook his head. “But that’s not the point. The point is you two can’t do this on your own.”

I winced. The last thing I wanted to do was to drag him further into this. “Mike… I know this whole time travel thing is weird, and I know I said you could help, but what we’re trying to do…” I shook my head. “This is a whole new level of dangerous.”

He crossed his arms. “Judy, if what you said is true, then a lot of people are going to die in the future, probably from a lot of things. I don’t know what kind of person I would be if didn’t at least try, but…” he winced, “I wouldn’t wanna wear their fur.”

I felt a tightening in my guts.

Mike was acting like me.

I put a paw on his shoulder. “Mike, I need you to listen to me. I’m glad you want to be the kind of person who helps people. But one of the hardest lessons I ever had to learn was that you can’t fix every problem. And you don’t need to spend your life looking for dangerous situations to throw yourself into to be a caring person.”

He looked down “That doesn’t work for me. I’m not… naturally caring.”

I shook my head. “Now that’s just a bold faced lie.”

Nick cleared his throat. We turned to him. “He’s not wrong, Carrots. I had underworld connections the last time we took on a case like this. We’re going to need help with this one.”

Mike’s eyes widened, and I swear a grin broke out on his face. “What do you want me to hack?”

I wheeled on my husband and stared at him. “Nick, are you out of your mind!? He’s eight years old!”

He sighed. “And if we don’t guide him, he’s just going to do it outside our watch. Trust me.” He looked away, “I’ve been in his shoes.” He let out a breath. “Speaking of which, I know where to start this whole search for a domestic terrorist cell.”

“We need Finn.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should note that I may end up taking next week off to build up more of a backlog. I've been crunching overtime at work to pay for surgery stuff so it will be a bit tight. As always thanks to Wootzel and Maldevinine for pre-reading!


	12. Where You Belong

_ Nick _

“So… Hi I guess.”

I turned to the tiny, beat up fox sitting next to me. 

I just gave him a nod. “Hey.”

He looked down at the plate of pretzels and cookies in front of him. He’d barely touched it. “Can… Can we talk?”

“Sure.” I said, “What’s on your mind?”

He shook his head. “I meant like in private.”

I noted a large number of cocked bunny ears hastily swiveling away.

I nodded. “Sure, we can do that.” I gave a nod to the Hopps family (a surreal experience given how much younger they were now) and gestured for him to follow.

He grabbed a worn, but sturdy crutch and joined me. 

I slowed my pace, but not too much. 

Once we were a ways away in a hedgerow under the open sky I sat down on a rock and turned to him. “So, what’s on your mind?”

He looked around to make sure no one had followed us. “I… I need some advice on what to do when…” He shook his head. “We both know I can’t stay here much longer.”

I nodded. “I can see why you’d think that… It’s not true, but I can see why you’d think it.”

He narrowed his eyes. His paw was shaking a little on his crutch, but he didn’t sit down. “You and I both know rabbits and foxes aren’t meant to live together.”

I nodded. “What’s your point?”

He blinked at me. “... that I need to leave.”

“Why?” I asked.

He narrowed his eyes. “Y’all are a few apples short of a bushel ain’t ya?”

I laughed, “Probably, but you’re missing the point.” I got up and stretched. “Look kid, there’s all sorts of stuff we’re ‘made’ for. All sorts of stuff we’re ‘supposed’ to do…” I shrugged. “And it’s all crap.”

He snorted. “Yeah, and if you pull the other leg it plays ‘Howdy Doody’ don’t give me that ‘anyone can be anything’ crap. I ain’t built like a rabbit. I sure as shootin’ wasn’t raised like one. They’re just letting me stay because they feel sorry for me. None of them actually want me around…”

He looked down. “Well… Maybe Judy, but I sure as Hell don’t know why.”

I nodded. “You’re right.”

He stared at me, surprised. “...Wait, what?”

I pried myself up and walked a few paces into the field proper, tracing my claws along some tawny stalks of grain. “Biology shapes us, nurture shapes us. We are molded by the world.” I met his eyes. “But it doesn’t own us.”

I knelt down to his level. “Look, I know I don’t look like it, but I’ve seen a lot in my time on this Earth. There’s all kinds of boxes people slide into because they’re easy fits. Because it’s what your family did or what people said you’d do anyway.

“It’s easy to play the part you’re assigned.” I shrugged. “Sometimes it’s even who you want to be.”

I looked down. “But sometimes it really, really isn’t.”

I looked back up, straight into his eyes. “If you want to run off and join a gang? That’s on you. You want to go into foster care? Hey, it might be the right call.”

I gestured to the fields around us. “But if you want to stay here… It’s not going to be easy, but I know for a fact you’ve got people in your corner.”

I sat down and let out a breath. “At the end of the day, it’s up to you. Who do you want to be?”

He looked uncertain. A moment passed as the breeze filtered through the stones and grain.

He sat down. “If I wanted to stay here… What would I need to do?”

I smiled.

#

_ Judy _

“Judy dear, can I talk to you for a moment.” My mom asked.

I turned to her. I’d just come out of the bounce house (I swear it was just for my cover!) and I was a bit tired and sweaty. “Yeah?”

She smiled. “Let’s take a walk.” 

I felt a lead weight forming in my gut. “What did I do?”

She shook her head. “Nothing at all sweetie, I just want to talk to you about something.”

_ Aw crap _ … It was kind of scary how easily I’d fallen back into my old role here.

We walked over to a far, vacant picnic table and she sat me down. She smiled at me from the other side, gesturing broadly. “You have a crush on Nick.”

I stared at her. “What?”

She sighed. “Judy, I need you to listen to me. It’s okay if you’re attracted to foxes. And Nick seems like a good kid so far.” She gave me a serious look. “But you can’t go off dating teenagers until you are one… And I know this is going to hurt, but Nick clearly doesn’t feel that way about you.”

There was an unspoken. “Thank heavens” in that statement which caused a large amount of conflicting emotions to wash over me.

Obviously, I was quite glad that whatever physical attraction I had shown towards Nick was not reciprocated (and I felt more than a little guilty at having any attraction at all for the body of a 16 year old no matter how long I’d been married to his brain). But I had to admit, it made me feel kind of crappy.

I wasn’t crazy vain, but at least being able to be seen as beautiful was... Well, it didn’t define me, but it was a part of me. Missing a piece like that kinda sucked.

I was starting to understand all that stuff Clara in evidence said about dysphoria.

I looked down. “I… I know. And I know he’s too old for me right now.”

Mom raised an eyebrow. “Right now?”

I looked away. “I um…” I shook my head, “Look, it’s not like I don’t get that Nick and I can’t…”

The sentence hurt too much to finish.

Mom narrowed her eyes. “Judy, are you planning a romantic relationship with Nicholas Wilde in the distant future?”

I blinked at her. “Um… No?”

My mother shook her head. “Judy…” She looked behind me and blinked.

I followed her gaze to the police cruiser rolling up to the driveway.

Mom picked herself up. “We’ll finish this later.” That said, she trotted over to meet the officers approaching.

I, of course, crept after her and slipped behind the shadowed side of one of our cars…

And narrowly avoided crashing into Mike.

He raised an eyebrow and smirked at me.

I sighed and trained my ear on the conversation. 

There were a few cars coming and going, and they spoke in hushed voices so it was harder than I’d hoped. I just picked up a few words here and there from the officers. 

“... protection… custody…. Gideon...”

Mom came through much clearer. “What do you mean he escaped!?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the slow progress, but I've built up a backlog again so expect regular updated for at least the next 5 weeks!
> 
> Thanks again to GunpowderGuy, Wootzel, and Maldevinine for pre-reading!


	13. Family Resources

_ Judy _

When I was younger, I thought I would always have some kind of control. 

I’m not sure if it was arrogance or stubbornness, but even when a mob boss was staring me down I didn’t stop trying.

Maybe it was just stupidity.

Gideon was in shock. We had been ushered into my room by the police shortly after Mom’s outburst. I’d lost track of Nick in the chaos.

I’d even called out for Mike in the shadows, but for once, he wasn’t skulking around.

So I just sat there, on the edge of my bed, holding Gideon while he cried.

The worst part?

He was completely silent.

_ # _

_ Nick _

I’d like to think that when a man reaches his forties, he outgrows certain childish things.

Like handcuffs.

I sat in the blank interrogation room, cuffed to the table despite coming very quietly.

The only thing I’d asked for was a lawyer. But I’d been left alone with nothing but a creaking metal table to keep me company.

There was a time when an old rabbit shouting at me in fear for the police would have gotten me running the other way, but years of working with the department had drilled that out of me.

I’d spoken to Pop-Pop Hopps only a few times. He wasn’t quite as bent over and nearsighted as he used to be, but he was just as ornery. 

He’d softened to me in recent years. But he’d thrown a fit when she proposed. 

He came to the wedding, though, and over time he’d warmed up to me.

He had a shred of soul. I honestly didn’t make him a bad bunny.

But he was a scared old man who saw the changing world as a threat. 

That fear made him dangerous.

I woke from my reverie when a uniformed boar walked in holding a thick file. He had a shit eating grin on his face and stained tusks. He dropped it on the table with a meaty thunk.

He sat down. “So… Nicholas Wilde.” He cracked his neck. “Look. The evidence is right in front of us. We know you helped Arthur Grey get out of his cuffs.”

He sat down in the chair across from me. “It’s not a big deal, though. Just tell us where you took him, and things will go a lot better for you.”  
  
I just narrowed my eyes at him. “I want a lawyer.”

The boar rolled his eyes. “Might as well sell yourself up the river doing that.”

I raised an eyebrow. “You really are just following the  Reid technique to the letter, aren’t you?”

He blinked at me, confused. “What?”

I sighed. “Actively cutting the subject off from the world and letting them stew. Then employing Maximization: that the crime definitely happened, and Minimization: that it’s not a big deal so neither is confessing to it.”

I gestured to the folder on the table. “Throw in a folder full of scrap paper to really sell it, and you’ve got a recipe for a technically legal, but completely unethical interrogation.”

He stood up and glared at me. “And where the hell did you learn all of that?” 

I told the truth. “Zootopian Police Policy Manual. I’m planning to be a police officer.”

He snorted, rising from his chair to loom over me with a grin. “You really think a mammal like you is fit to wear the badge?”

I narrowed my eyes on him. “More fit than a disgrace to the shield who tries to strong arm a 16 year old.” 

The boar slammed his hoof into the table. A low growl left his throat. “Boy, you best pedal that back.” 

He unclipped his gun holster.

I rolled my eyes. “And now we’ve crossed the line straight into illegal.”

The door slammed open and a mustachioed brown rabbit in an only slightly scuffed suit barged in. “What in the Sam Hell is going on in here!?”

The boar stepped back. “Kenneth? I- I mean, councilman Hopps. What are you doing here?”

The rabbit dropped his briefcase on the table. “Representing a child who came to this community in its time of need. And apparently stopping you from blowing his head off.” He narrowed his eyes at the office’s sidearm.

The boar hastily clicked his holster shut. “I… just have a sloppy uniform.”

“Which is against station policy,” came another voice. An elk with a graying muzzle stepped into the room. He was wearing a sheriff's badge.

He turned to the boar, looking more than a bit bored. “Uncuff him, Frank. He doesn’t know anything.”

The pig protested. “Sherriff, he has a missing person’s report filed!”

“... and we arrested him with his mother. Who just hasn’t called it in yet.”

The rabbit narrowed his eyes, “Considering the way my clients have been flagrantly discriminated against and threatened by law enforcement, I can see why.”

The Elk sighed. “Settle down, Mr. Hopps, you’ve already won.” He raised an eyebrow at the pig and gestured to me. 

The pig let out a breath and undid my cuffs with a scowl on his face. 

I stared at the rabbit. “Thank you.”

He sighed, ears drooping back. “Son, if anything, we owe you an apology. C’mon, your mother’s waiting for you.”

#

Mom wrapped me in a bone breaking hug the second we got out the door. “Oh gods, are you okay? Did they hurt you?”

I shook my head. “I’m fine! Oxygen please!”

She loosened her grip, embarrassed, and shot me an apologetic look. She turned to… Kenneth apparently (look, Judy has a lot of relatives). “Thank you so much for helping my son. What are your rates?”

He shook his head. “This one’s pro bono. I can live without a few more billable hours.” He looked more than a little awkwardly at the police station’s facade. “I can’t believe they dragged you down here. You were just  _ party guests _ , for pity’s sake.”

I sighed. “I wish I could say I was surprised. More importantly though, where’s Judy? Are she and Gideon okay?” I gulped. The reaction to hearing that there was a violent escaped fox on the loose was… not handled well.

“You get out of the pokey and that’s the first thing you ask?” He grinned. “The little one sure has good taste in friends.”

His expression fell, “By the way, you have my sincerest apologies for Pop Pop… He’s from a different time.” He tilted his head. “You know, I have to ask. Given what I’m sure our reputation must be to… Predatory Zootopians, why did you sign up for this whole pen pal thing of yours anyway?”

It was awkward having to lie, but at least I could tell him why, given a little more wisdom, I would have.

“Because we don’t know each other.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Huh?”

I explained, “Pred and prey, urban and rural, mammals love putting people in boxes. The whole ‘us versus them’ mentality that keeps popping up doesn’t help anyone who actually deserves help.”

I held out a paw. “I’m not going to pretend we’re all the same or anything, or that some people don’t have a worse time than others, but even if we are different… We don’t need to be at each other’s throats all the time. Who knows, maybe if we start having a dialogue we’ll make some friends along the way.”

I shrugged. “I know I can’t change that all myself, but at least I can push a little bit in the right direction, you know?”

There was a long pause. He seemed to be taking me in.

Finally, he just sighed. “You’re Judy’s friend, alright.”

#

_ Judy _

Gideon had calmed down by the time I got some news.

Unfortunately, I hadn’t.

I stared daggers at Robin. “Pop Pop got Nick  _ arrested _ !?”

The rabbit took a step back, holding up his paws. “Look, Pop Pop just made a little mistake.”

Okay, now, I was just furious.

I raised an eyebrow. “A little mistake? Giving a sixteen year old an arrest record for doing absolutely nothing is just ‘a little mistake’?!”

He looked away. “Um…”

I shook myself, I may have looked like a toddler, but that didn’t mean I had to throw a tantrum. “Well, since this is obviously a mess we need to clean up right now, I hope you sent a lawyer to get him out.”

He brightened. “Don’t worry, we already did and he’s already been released.”

A wave of relief washed over me. At least that solved that problem. “And his mother?”

He nodded. “She picked him up from the station. I think they’re headed back to Zootopia right now.”

I felt a little pang at that. It made sense, but having him close had been a huge weight off my shoulders. At least he was safe, though.

“What about Gideon’s dad?” I asked. “Have we been assigned protection by the Sheriff's Department yet? Is there any word from the manhunt?”

He nodded, straightening his glasses. “Don’t worry, they said they have a bunch of leads and they’ve got a squad car parked out front so...”

He blinked, pausing for a moment.

I stared at him, “What?”

He stared right back. “What is going on with you?”

I tilted my head. “What do you mean?”

He shook his head. “You’ve always been a smart kid Judy, but.... Eight year olds don’t talk like this. Even if you were some kind of prodigy you wouldn’t be saying things with all this… coordination and authority. And you’re all world weary and controlled in your anger it...”

He just kept staring. “What is happening to you?”

I sighed. “I’m actually Judy from 24 years in the future. I was sent back in time by a magical Kitsune whose life I saved, and now I’m doing my level best to make the world a better place by manipulating the past to improve my present.”

Robin rubbed at his temples, “Judy, I’m being serious.”

I just shrugged. “I don’t know what you want me to say. Nick deserved a Hell of a lot better. Anyone would.”

He shook his head. “Hell isn’t a nice... I suppose it’s fair. Dinner’s in an hour.”

That said, he left.

Gideon, who had been sitting silently on my bed, had eyes as wide a saucers. “You’re from the future!?”

I groaned.

#

_ Nick _

I eyed my mom from the side seat (I missed driving, Judy wasn’t fond of passing me the wheel, but still). The rolling hills of bunny burrow were beautiful… 

But they filled me with more unease than they had in a long, long time.

“So,” I began, “I’m guessing Judy’s family didn’t make a very good first impression?”

She winced. “They did not.” she sighed. “It’s clear you love each other, though. That’s all that matters.”

I nodded.

She smiled faintly, “I’m not going to lie, it helps that your future wife is impossibly adorable.”

I snorted. “Never let her hear you say that.”

Her expression grew uncertain. “Nick… Does it get better?”

I frowned, considering my career. “I’d say yes… But it’s not a straight line.”

She nodded.

There was a long pause, as beautiful scenery passed us by and we mulled over all the suffering in the universe. 

Normal road trip stuff.

“So,” Mom said, finally. “You’ve checked in on your… wife… What next?”

I nodded. “First thing’s first, I’ve gotta find Finn.”

She blinked. “Who?”

#

The neighborhood where Finn hung his hat looked rough and tumble… But let’s be honest, that’s just because the city didn’t put resources into fixing it up. 

It was just a couple blocks past Pack street, which was more than a little painful to roll down.

A decade or so from now, the whole community would go through a major renaissance, gaining murals, public libraries, a gym… and respect. At least, from anyone with fangs.

Right now, though? It was filled with homeless mammals, garbage, and despair.

But as I took it in, I noticed a teenaged white wolf in a wool hat tossing plastic bottles into a battered recycling bin. A black wolf came to join him with a wagon full of cans.

I smirked. Maybe the kids were alright.

We reached Garden Way without much trouble. Honey, who we’d picked up on the way, poked her head out the window and squinted. “It’s Saturday night... he’s gotta be around here somewhere, right?”

I nodded to badger. She was starting to look a little better. “It is his MO.” I pointed to a plume of steam in the distance. “There!”

Mom drove us around the corner and parked on the street side. The three of us wandered out to the alley where the steam was billowing from. If that wasn’t enough, the steady stream of cursing was there to guide us.

“Motherfucking piece of shit radiator, wrecking my damn-” The fennec fox glared furiously under the hood of his recently salvaged van. It still had the old plumbing logo on it.

I would say it was a trip down memory lane, but that would be redundant.

“You know, a little bird told me it just needs a new hose.” I called out from behind the steam cloud

The fennec turned to us (Gods he was young...), Once the shock had passed from his face, he narrowed his eyes. “Honey!? Wait… who’s the broad?”

Honey waved, mom did not look so pleased. “My name is Marion Wilde.“ She put a paw on my shoulder. “I’m told you and my son are acquainted?”

His eyes widened. “Wait… You’re the kid’s mother!?” 

She nodded. 

I stepped between them. “Finn, that’s not what’s important right now. We got word of some seriously bad business, but we don’t have enough to go to the cops just yet. We need your help, or a lot of people are going to get hurt.”

He blinked. He seemed to consider my words for a moment before letting out a long sigh. “Well hell, kid…” He closed the hood and climbed down from the ladder he was using to look inside. Then he sauntered out back and opened the rear doors. “Honey, hop to, I need you in there.”

The badger shrugged. “Okay.” she climbed in the back and Finn followed her.

I raised an eyebrow. “Um… What are you doing?” 

The tiny fox grunted. “Listen closely kid, here’s the plan.”

He pointed to my mom. “You, take care of your child.” He pointed to me. “You, go back to school.”

He grabbed the doors. “And both of you stay far the fuck away from us.”

That said he slammed the door shut and I heard the distinctive sound of the van locking up.


	14. Getting Better

_ Judy _

“Gideon I was being sarcastic.” I said to the incredulous fox.

He narrowed his eyes. “You’re lying.”

He had a cold look in his eyes. A look that should never have been on an eight year old’s face.

I found myself taking a step back.

The injured fox stared at me. “Why did you bring me here?”

For some reason the words caught in my throat. “I… I wanted to keep you safe.”

He snarled. “Judy. That is not how it works.” He grabbed his crutch and slid off the bed, pulling himself up. “Here’s how it works.”

He took a step closer, glaring down at me.

The rage on his face didn’t bother me. The loss did. “Grown ups lie to your face. Because they think they’re in control. They think that if you have a problem, then they can always just come along and fix it. Because hey, it’s not like you have any  _ real _ problems right?”

His claws dug into his crutch.

“But they don’t. No one does. At the end of the day, the world’s broken and crazy and no one can  _ ever _ protect you from that.”

He kept on glaring, but there were tears in his eyes. “No one really cares either. You’re just a gold star for them that they can stick on their report card of pansy ass goody two shoes bullshit!”

He looked away. “No one cares… I forgot.”

That said, he pushed past me and headed straight for the door.

I got out in front of him. “Gideon, wait!” I let out a breath. It was time for a leap of faith. I shook my head. “I’m sorry I lied, I didn’t… I didn’t think you would believe me if I told you.” I hugged my chest, “You’re right… When you’re a kid sometimes… sometimes people don’t think your problems are real.”

I glared right back at him. “But I  _ can _ protect you. Maybe not from everything. Maybe not even from much. But I will be  **fucked** if I’m not going to try.”

I let my arms drop to my sides, fists clenched. “I’ve seen your future… you have one.”

He looked at me for a second.

He turned around, trundled over to the side of my bed and sat down against it. “Y’all best start talking.”

I nodded.

#

_ Nick _

Honey burst from the van’s side door, whipping out a…

Oh fuck, that was a gun.

I walked over and slowly, carefully put a paw on her shoulder. “Honey…”

Shakily she nodded. She flicked on the safety and tucked it in her coat. 

She looked to Finn. Who was staring at her in absolute shock.

“... Never do that again.” she said.

She stepped back.

I turned to Finn. “Okay… So, dramatics aside, we could really-”

“Are you fucking insane!” The Fennec shouted. 

“You locked me in a cage!” Honey snapped back from behind me. 

“The locks were on the  _ inside _ you whack job!” He turned and glared at me. “But you’re the one I was talking to.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a box cutter. “I’m going to make this real simple for you kid. We. Are. Bad. People.” 

He gestured with his knife. “And you are a child. You may think you’re not but you are. And you, unlike so many other street kids, have actual ties to the world. You have a mother.”

He narrowed his eyes at Mom. “A mother who is a complete idiot for bringing her son into a back alley with a couple hardened criminals, sure, but a mother none the-”

“Put. It. Down.” Mom said from behind me.

I froze. Finnick put his knife down. 

Mom gently pushed me behind her. She gave the fennec fox, a calm, even look. “You will not brandish a weapon at my child ever again.”

Finn nodded.

“Now. We have information about people who are very dangerous and need to be stopped. We would go to the police, but they wouldn’t believe us. So we need proof.”

She narrowed her eyes. “You are going to help us get it. Do you understand?”

Finn nodded.

“Lovely.” She turned around. “Honey, give me your gun.”

Honey handed her the gun.

Mom took out all the bullets and pocketed them, making sure the chamber was empty.

I didn’t know how she knew how to do that and I didn’t ask.

She turned to Finn and smiled. “So, let’s get started, shall we?”

  
  


#

_ Judy _

“So what’s the play?” Sharla asked from the corner of my bed. 

How she had convinced her parents to let her over when a maniac was on the loose was beyond me. But I was glad to see her. 

It was Sunday morning and they still hadn’t found Arthur Grey.

Gideon grunted from the other end. “We’re not going to be able to fight my dad head on. I say we slit his throat while he sleeps.”

“I can get behind that.” Mike chimed in from my desk chair.

I groaned. I knew they were trying to help, but there were so many levels of bad to that idea that that I didn’t even know where to start.

Fortunately Sharla was more reasonable than the boys. “We’re not killing anyone!” She called out. “The cops can handle Mr. Grey. We need to focus on figuring out this weird magic business.”

She reached into her backpack and pulled out a small stack of books. “I got to the library and grabbed everything I could find about Vulpine Shinto. If we’re lucky we’ll be able to figure out what that Kitsune’s deal is.”

I nodded. Even if I wasn’t sure if the Kitsune was the bad guy in this situation I wasn’t happy with how little information she’d given us. 

Of course, Sharla had all of three books, so there wasn’t much else to dissect.

Still, I picked up a hefty one and cracked it open. It was about as dense as my wolf sized criminology textbook and only had ten pages on fox folklore.

I felt a sinking feeling in my gut.

Sharla blinked at me. “Judy, are you okay? Did I pick a book that was too- uh… sorry. Wow, you’re probably at a higher reading level than me.”

I shot her an embarrassed smirk. “I’ve had a lot of time to practice. Don’t worry, just… Need to remind myself the world gets better.”


	15. The Price

_ Nick _

Once again, I felt useless. 

Honey stared at me from the other side of the couch, crunching down on a bowl of cereal. “You okay Nick?”

I sighed. Finn was surprisingly willing to assist after Mom’s… I don’t even know what that was but it was damn impressive.

He had, however, had one, exceptionally annoying condition.

“The kid stays out of it.”

And now here I was, sitting at home with the TV playing some mindless home improvement show wasting away my time in the past… Mostly out of sheer aggravation.

I let out a sigh and turned to Honey. “Yeah… Man, old TV sucks.”

Her eyes went wide. I swear, there were stars in them. “What’s future TV like?”

I shrugged. “I mean, you’ve got a lot more control over it. Online services let you stream all sorts of videos.”

“Like Ewe Grounds?”

I snorted “Better than that… also, there’s stuff you pay for with your money and stuff you pay for with your personal information.”

I wondered what it said about her personality that she just nodded along and took another bite of cereal. “Does the open source movement fight back?”

I scratched at the back of my neck. “Kinda? I admit, I wasn’t paying attention to it all that much.”

“But you live in a cyberpunk dystopia?”

I held up a finger… then lowered it. “We’re working on it, okay?”

She shrugged, “Hey, it’s cool man, you’re not superwolf.”

I snorted. “Wolves…”

Honey wiggled an admonishing spoon in my direction. “Now now, I thought you had learned so much about the importance of species diversity in your time.”

I gently pushed the spoon away. “Prey consider wolves to be ‘model minorities’. I’m just punching up.”

She rolled her eyes. “Suuure… Next you’re going to tell me you have tons of wolf friends in the future.”

I technically did and was starting to feel just a tad fecal about this whole exchange.

Honey drained her cereal. “Do you know if your mom has any more soy milk?”

I winced. “Please don’t call it that.”

She chuckled, “Oh like ‘soy slurry’ is so much more appetizing.” She tilted her head. “Huh… What does bunny milk taste like?”

My eyes widened. “What?”

“I mean you’ve been married to Judy for eight years right? You must have tasted it at some point.”

A portion of my brain wanted to point out that one would have to provide quite a bit of consistent suction for that to work, but I decided it would be better to just stare blankly at her. I got up. “Okay, going to the grocery store. Possibly somewhere else far, far away from this conversation. Are you going to be okay until I get back?”

She nodded, the white on her lips making her evil smirk a bit ridiculous.

I just rolled my eyes and headed out the door.

When I got to the street I held up my thumb on reflex before realizing how silly that was.

To my shock, it worked.

A beaten yellow taxi cab pulled right up to the curb and rolled down its window. A fox with a greying muzzle wearing a polo shirt looked out at me. “Need a ride?”

I stared at him for a moment, then shook my head. “Sure thing.”

I slipped into the back of the cab and put my paw in my pocket, squeezing the switchblade there for a sense of security. “To the Piggly Wiggly please.”

The old fox nodded, and off we went.

As we were passing through the streets he spoke up. “You do know there’s a price, right?”

I nodded. “I’ve got the fare.”

He shook his head. “Not coin, lives.”

The cab grew cold. Every fiber of my being was telling me to roll out the door, but for some reason I wasn’t moving. 

I wanted to, I just wasn’t.

I stared at the driver. “Who are you?”

He sighed, a weary, old sound. “Someone who has lived long enough to realize that actions have consequences.” He casually turned the wheel. “Tell me Nicholas, do you believe in balance?”

I said nothing. 

“Allow me to educate you. The more you modify history, the more you unbalance its progression. A butterfly flaps its wings and suddenly a hurricane kills thousands.”

He gestured to this road. “You and your lover have spent so much time thinking about the people here who will die if you don’t act. But you haven’t spared so much as a passing thought to the people who will die if you do.”

He turned around to face me. He wasn’t looking at the road, but his paw was steady on the wheel. “You’ve already paid in blood once for your ‘brighter future’. Are you really willing to do it again?”

I stared at him. “What are you talking about?”

He sighed. “You’ll see.”

He turned back to the road. “Your patron is playing God. Don’t let yourself become her pawn.”

He pulled up to the corner. The door swung open. “This is your stop Nicholas.”

I grit my teeth. “Like hell it is! Who-”

I don’t remember undoing my seatbelt. I don’t remember getting out of the car.

All I know is I was on the curb. 

And he was nowhere to be seen. 

#

_ Judy _

I’d forgotten how many rooms my family used to have with TVs in them.

It made a weird kind of sense, laptops and cell phones hadn’t made it big yet and there were lots of l siblings constantly fighting over the remote.

Besides, dad had a habit of picking up old ones and a knack for fixing them up.

Maybe Mike really hadn’t fallen too far from the tree.

So it wasn’t hard for our little gang of eight year olds to pile into a lounge with a big couch and switch on the news.

We couldn’t think of much else to do that was productive.

We’d poured through the miniscule selection of books the library had in record time and the only reference we’d even found to  Muchitsujo Wakagaeri was in a pop-up book. 

So Mike was typing furiously into an impossibly thick laptop. We were close enough to the library that the warren’s terrible Wifi could be picked up. But he hadn’t found much online either

Mike sighed. “I swear it’s like someone deliberately tried to erase her. This is like… Ugh...”

He turned to Gideon. “I think I’ve got something international at least, can you read Japanese?”

Gideon narrowed his eyes. “No.”

For the first time, possibly ever, Mike looked embarrassed. “Sorry…”

The fox sighed. “I’ve dealt with worse.”

“And dealt out worse.” Sharla muttered from the opposite side of the couch.

Gideon winced. “I… Yeah.”

“One bad deed doesn’t excuse another.” I said, Idly flipping through channels. 

The fox looked down. “I guess I haven’t said nothing to you yet Sharla. I-”

His eyes went wide. All of ours did.

The reporter on screen continued “... We’ve just received reports that the primary suspect in the murder of Officer Beverly Chase, Arthur Grey, is still at large. Police are…”

I felt blood pounding in my ears. It wasn’t right.

I knew her.

She  _ lived _ . 


	16. The Choice

_Chapter 16_

_Nick_

I burst through Mom’s door in a cold sweat. “Honey! We’ve got troub-”

I blinked. 

Sitting on the couch right next to my favorite badger was a certain Shrine maiden sipping a cup of tea.

Or, rather she had been sipping tea before it burst right out of her nose, leaving her in a coughing fit. 

Honey handed her a tissue and she slowly recovered. “Nick!” She managed with a strained smile. “I thought-”

I absolutely did not have time for this, “I’m 40 years old and married. I got sent back into my old body from the future. That’s why I’m not into your advances. You seem perfectly nice, please do not take it personally and I forgive you for the kissing thing.”

She just blinked at me. Then she reached into her robes.

She pulled out a long, roughly curled joint and lit it with a “Puppet Parrot Pals” zippo. She took a large hit, exhaled evenly, and looked back to me. 

“Okay... I’m going to be honest, this whole thing is way too weird to emotionally process. So I’m just going to forget… absolutely everything, okay?”

I nodded, uncertain. “I’ll take it.”

Honey blinked at the shrine maiden before awkwardly turning to me. “So… How’d the grocery run go??” 

“I just got abducted by another Kami.”

“Tell us everything!” The ladies shouted in unison.

Thank goodness we were back on track. “This guy, this taxi driver fox dude… He picked me up and told me that someone had…

My paws were shaking. I took in a deep breath. “I uh… Can I get some tea?”

The shrine maiden nodded and poured me a cup. She offered me the joint. “Something stronger?”

“I’m good,” I said, “for now.” I sat down on the couch and did my best to steady myself.

I told them everything. The room grew a little colder with each word.

When I was done, I turned to the Shrine Maiden. “So… Anyone you know?”

She shook her head. “In the stories the kitsune are the greatest shapeshifters among the Kami. You could have been talking to anyone from the kami of pottery to Inari himself.”

Honey raised an eyebrow. “What would the kami of pottery want with Nick?”

The shrine maiden groaned. “It’s just an example okay!? Look, there are a lot of frigging Kami okay? I’ve already been asking so much about them lately that if I’m not careful I’m going to end up with a letter of recommendation to Kokugakuin.” She shuddered.

I stared at her. “What?”

Honey cleared her throat . “I hate to break up this little tangent, but you said there was a price in blood… Who’s blood?”

I let out a breath. “He didn’t say.” I turned to the Shrine Maiden. “Can kami lie?”

She twiddled her joint. “If the stories are true, then yeah… Do you think he lied to you?”

I was silent.

The phone started to ring. 

#

_Judy_

“Love you too.” I hung up. 

I turned to my friends, my voice even. “We’ve got another player. Nick saw a new Kami.”

It was scary how little of a reaction that got.

Gideon limped away from his lookout. Mike had scavenged the phone from another room and we had relative privacy in the lounge, but with this call we weren’t taking any chances.

“You have to go back.” Sharla said, staring blankly at the pile of books on the floor.

I tilted my head. “What?” 

She turned to me, she had a look of fear on her face no eight year old should ever wear. “You have to get Nick, use the Necklace and go back to your time. It’s the only chance we have to…”

Mike let out a sigh from the corner. “She’s right. You have to save that woman.”

I stared at him. “Mike that’s not going to happen.”

He shook his head, “Judy someone’s gotta die here.” He met my eyes. “I’m probably screwed anyway. At least this way it has meaning.”

Gideon stared at him. “What’re you talking about?”

He shrugged. “I’m dying young.”

I narrowed my eyes at him. “Mike, that is _not_ going to happen.”

Sharla stared at the buck. “Wait, you’re _dying_?” She hopped down from her chair and put a hoof on his shoulder. “It’s not cancer is it? Do we need to get you tested. My nanna lost-”

He put a paw on her hoof. “I’m not sick Sharla… I’m just going to kill myself.”

The whole room went silent.

I stared at him. “That- I didn’t say-”

He glared at me. “Damn it Judy, I know what you meant!” He looked away. “Besides, I’ve tried it before”

I actually physically took a step back. “What?!”

His face twisted. “I… I didn’t feel good. So I… Look, it’s not important!” He turned away. “Even if I liked being me in this crummy world I couldn’t live with myself if I let an innocent woman die just so I could live.”

Sharla balled up her hooves. “So you’re just bailing? Is that it? The world’s just too tough for you so you’re going to _leave all of us behind_?”

“I- Agh!” He buried his head in his hands. “Look, I don’t want to hurt anyone... But that’s the point!”

He was actually tearing up now. “Sharla we changed the past. We _killed_ her.”

He sat down and curled his arms around his legs. “I don’t wanna be a bad bunny… a worse bunny.”

Gideon walked over to him. He looked him up and down, sat down next to him... and pulled the buck into his lap.

Mike’s ears shot straight up… then slowly eased down as the fox held him.

“...Dad killed that lady.” The fox said. “He’ll try to put that on you, but he can’t.”

He rocked the crying rabbit gently, surprisingly capable with his cast.

Mike slumped, just sniffling ever so slightly. “But Judy-”

“Judy ain’t God.” He said. “None of us are.” He squeezed the buck tight. “Not everything’s our fault.”

I sat down, completely at a loss for what to say. 

Sharla followed.

Eventually the black sheep spoke. “What do we do now?”

I shook my head. “I have no idea.”

#

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm afraid that I'm starting a new job (I got promoted), so there will be a bit of a hiatus as I get back into the game. I definitely wanted to point out the other side of this issue though.
> 
> Thanks again to Wootzel, GunpowderGuy and Maldevinine for their editing assistance. I couldn't have done it without them.


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